Ye Olde Era
UNITED KINGDOM
Britain’s oldest pub closed its doors this week because of the economic difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, ending more than 1,000 years of operations, NPR reported.
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, located in St. Albans, England, dates back to the eighth century CE, according to its website. The ancient venue has been used as a pigeon house, an inn and the site of numerous cockfights before the sport was banned in the middle of the 19th century.
The building is also linked with tunnels stretching from the beer cellar to nearby St. Albans Cathedral because the facility was reportedly frequented by monks. English statesman Oliver Cromwell is also believed to have spent a night at the inn during the Civil War of 1642-1651.
Owner Christo Tofalli said that the closure came following “a sustained period of extremely challenging trading conditions.” He cited the rising business rates and taxes, as well small profit margins that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
The historic pub – whose age remains a topic of debate – is one of the thousands of licensed premises that were forced to permanently close because of the pandemic: Nearly 10,000 restaurants, pubs and clubs shuttered their doors in 2020.
Tofalli said that despite how recent British health measures did not stop pubs from operating, the new omicron wave forced many people to stay at home. Also, efforts to save the pub didn’t materialize, such as a GoFundMe page that raised nearly $4,500 before it stopped accepting donations.
Still, he added that he was working with brewery owners Mitchells & Butlers “to lessen the impact” of the pub’s closure and hopefully, eventually, reopen it.
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