Bristol pub The Ashton forced to close due to flood damage

A Bristol pub has been forced to close its doors for several days due to heavy flooding which caused substantial damage to its cellar and destroyed much of its stock.

The Ashton is located next to the Ashton Court estate and surface water from the surrounding fields travelled downhill after the recent heavy rain, flooding the pub’s car park, bar and restaurant. The pub has been closed since last Thursday.

Once a farm cottage, parts of the pub date back to the 1650s and in the 18th Century, it was called the Smyth Arms after the family who owned the land.

It later became The Dovecote, which was badly damaged by a fire in the summer of 2014. Since 2015, the pub has been owned by the Mitchells & Butlers group.

A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers said: “After a torrential rain storm last Thursday, the basement was completely flooded and we were forced to close.

“The cellar was completely submerged, and large areas of the property were flooded, resulting in substantial damage and a loss of stock.

“We are now working with the loss adjusters to fully assess the cost of the damage.

“Our wonderful team has been working around the clock to sort the problem and the good news is that the pub will be reopening on Saturday and we look forward to welcoming back guests.”

The spokesperson added that the company will also be discussing with the Ashton Court estate and the Environment Agency ways to prevent the pub flooding again.

“We will be working with our neighbours to explore ways of preventing this in the future.”