The UK’s pub crisis has been laid bare as Bristol's old watering holes are turned into supermarkets, DIY stores and flats.
According to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), 29 pubs close every week because of sky-high energy costs and punters having less disposable cash.
As Brits struggle with the cost-of-living crisis and pubs see their bills soar, it is perhaps unsurprising to see so many pubs closing. Figures show 772 pubs shut either permanently or temporarily between January and June last year.
Long-term closes have almost doubled with 500 reported last year compared with 251 in 2021. But while hundreds of pubs call time, dozens of businesses and ventures have spotted opportunities to make a profit themselves.
There have been some startling changes made to once beloved watering holes. One such pub in Bristol was the imposing King George VI pub in Filton. Due to its location, it became a firm favourite with locals, office workers and locals until it closed for the final time in 2011.
Now punters can order pots of paint instead of pints of beer after the pub was turned into a paint shop, ironically named ‘Brewers’.
Another pub to be reinvented is The Bell in the St George suburb of the city which had its taps replaced by tills after becoming a Tesco Express. In St Paul’s, the iconic Prince of Wales pub now offers more wholesome refreshments after it turned into a trendy coffee house.
Plummeting profits sealed the fate of The Chequers pub in Kingswood and it eventually closed in 2010, only to be reopened as another Co-op supermarket. Following the trend, the much-loved The Foresters in Westbury-on-Trym permanently closed in 2012 and transformed into a Tesco Express.
The Windmill pub in the Windmill Hill district of Bristol was also converted to residential homes back in 2020.
English pubs were the worst hit with 56 permanent closures between January and June 2023, compared to two in Scotland two and three in Wales. Despite favourite pubs being lost, 127 new pubs opened in the first half of last year, which is still down from 179 in the six months before.
In a statement, CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona blamed a “perfect storm” buffeting the UK pub industry.
He said: “Simultaneous economic crises have meant that pubs, social clubs and taprooms are balancing on a crumbling cliff edge, with too many already lost to the abyss.“
CAMRA is always concerned when pubs could be lost to the communities they serve, be it through demolition or conversion to other usage, such as offices or housing.
“It is vital that these venues are marketed as going concerns and everything possible is done to secure their future as community pubs - including giving existing licensees first refusal of buying their pub.
“Pubs are struggling to survive against a perfect storm of issues, such as spiralling costs of goods and rising energy bills - meaning that our much-loved locals are at risk of disappearing forever unless meaningful support is given to both publicans and pubgoers.”
CAMRA are now urging the Government to use the upcoming budget to halt the closure of pubs.
Nik added: “To put a stop to permanent closures of pubs CAMRA are urging the Government to announce a tax cut on pints in pubs by 20 percent at the upcoming Spring Budget, which would help them compete with the likes of supermarkets and the off-trade.
“This would significantly help UK’s pubs to stay open and thrive as community spaces in the future.”
Scroll through for pictures of former Bristol pubs turned into different uses.
1. The Bell in St George
The Tesco on Bell Hill Road in St George, which was formerly the Bell pub
2. The Windmill in Windmill Hill
A block of flats in Windmill Hill, which was formerly The Windmill Pub
3. The Prince of Wales in St Paul's
The Coral Cafe in St Paul's, Bristol which was formerly The Prince of Wales pub. Bristol
4. The Foresters in Westbury-on-Trym
The Tesco Express in Westbury-on-Trym which was formerly the Foresters pub