Mystery over Barge pub closure (From Basildon Recorder)
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Mystery over Barge pub closure
1:10pm Thursday 24th January 2013 in News By Gina Marden
Barge pub is sunk
A MUCH-LOVED community pub has mysteriously closed its doors.
The Barge Inn pub on High Road, Vange has been at the heart of its area since first opening its doors more than 200 years ago.
But now the doors are firmly shut with no signs of life apparent after the latest landlords Emma and Clive Langley mysteriously left the pub.
Customers and businesses believe the couple left the pub after struggling as the recession continues to bite.
Speaking in 2008, just a year on from taking on the pub, the couple told The Echo the economic downturn was already taking its toll on their business with fewer people spending their cash at watering holes across the country.
Now, more than four years on, the couple are understood to have left the pub, which is thought to have closed around a fortnight ago.
It is currently empty and a sign on the window, which reads “closed private party”, is undertsood to refer to a bash thrown at the pub by the couple on New Year’s Eve.
Enterprise Inns PLC, the brewery which owns the pub, was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press. The Echo were also unable to contact Mr and Mrs Langley.
Previously, before the Langleys ran The Barge, the pub was run by the Evans family who spent seven decades pulling pints there. Elizabeth Evans was the first member of the family to take on the pub in 1937, and her niece Geraldine Evans more recently worked behind the bar for more than 40 years until she left in April 2007.
Comments(14)
perini
says...
4:11pm Thu 24 Jan 13
Stoko66
says...
5:10pm Thu 24 Jan 13
perini wrote:Trouble is mate, if you only have a certain amount of money, it matters not how much you love a place! Times are hard and everyone is feeling it! Unfortunately because beer is so dear in a pub and so cheap in a supermarket people are tightening there belts! Have you not stuck your head out of the door for a while?
Obviously not that well loved - if it was they wouldn't have had to close
The government are making the most from the nation's penchant for a tipple: around a third of the cost of a pint goes to the Treasury. For a pint of 4% beer, 37.4p goes in just excise duty, not counting the VAT of 17.5%. This excise duty rises to 50p for a 5% strength brew. In contrast just 7p is spent on the raw materials such as hops and barley.
Where as supermarkets can afford to sell below duty plus VAT! WHICH WORKS OUT ABOUT 87p PER PINT!
Shoebury_Cyclist
says...
11:44am Fri 25 Jan 13
Cosmo Spring
says...
11:59am Fri 25 Jan 13
Beers, wines and spirits sales should be restricted to off licences.
andy:)
says...
1:26pm Fri 25 Jan 13
Big_g33 wrote:Some pubs/bars clearly do, most people dont go JUST to drink booze, its a social thing.
The barge actually closed on New Year's Day after Clive and Emma announced the closure to all the customers theat supported them, how can pubs compete with supermarkets selling booze at rock bottom prices!
Stoko66
says...
8:26pm Fri 25 Jan 13
Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:trouble is its the revenue not breweries that is killing pubs
The brewers need to drop their prices too. They are killing the pub trade in Britain.
pussycats
says...
9:13pm Fri 25 Jan 13
Stoko66
says...
9:18pm Fri 25 Jan 13
pussycats wrote:glad to hear it
Stoko, why do you and the media keep saying that times are hard and we are all feeling it? My partner gets very annoyed at that ridiculous generalisation. He's rich!
Stoko66
says...
11:45pm Fri 25 Jan 13
pussycats
says...
3:55pm Sat 26 Jan 13
Stoko66
says...
12:55am Sun 27 Jan 13
pussycats wrote:As sad as someone that would boast that whilst times hard it matters not to you because a) you are sat behind a guarded keyboard and
What a very sad person you must be. Anyone who has worked hard and is not struggling must be a drug dealer! The rest of your argument is just to stupid to contemplate.
b) because you are rich!
There are many, many people that work hard, I do 3 jobs! But can't boast at the fact the recession hasn't made a difference to a) income b) spending!!
Count yourself as lucky!
Major Incident
says...
10:50pm Sun 27 Jan 13
Cosmo Spring wrote:Supermarkets are off licences, otherwise they couldn't sell the stuff!
Supermarkets should not be allowed to sell alcoholic beverages as a loss leader as they so obviously do these days. Beers, wines and spirits sales should be restricted to off licences.
buttsy
says...
7:15pm Tue 29 Jan 13
Stoko66 wrote:Your the aptitamy mate of what is wrong in this county, why don't you move to a more affluent part of the country with you money just make sure your clear in what you mean KNOB
pussycats wrote:As sad as someone that would boast that whilst times hard it matters not to you because a) you are sat behind a guarded keyboard and
What a very sad person you must be. Anyone who has worked hard and is not struggling must be a drug dealer! The rest of your argument is just to stupid to contemplate.
b) because you are rich!
There are many, many people that work hard, I do 3 jobs! But can't boast at the fact the recession hasn't made a difference to a) income b) spending!!
Count yourself as lucky!
Big_g33 says...
3:40pm Thu 24 Jan 13