The brewery in charge of the closed Abbey pub in Darley Abbey has agreed to meet Darley Ward councillor Alan Grimadell to discuss its future.
The historic pub closed more than two years ago and efforts to find new managers for the building, which inhabits the last remnants of a medieval monastery, have proved fruitless.
Mr Grimadell has contacted Samuel Smiths, the brewery in charge of The Abbey, and is arranging to travel to Tadcaster to discuss what can be done to get it reopened.
Photo shows Alan Grimadell (second row from bottom, centre), with Amanda Solloway MP (Bottom Centre), Councillor Ged Potter (bottom right), Councillor Mick Barker (behind Cllr Grimadell) and concerned residents outside the Abbey.
Councillor Grimadell said: “The strength of feeling in Darley Abbey about this pub is very strong – that was clear by the online petition started by my fellow ward councillor Martin Repton which gained more than 2,300 signatures.
“We all want the same for The Abbey and that is for it to re-open. I don’t want efforts to save the pub to stall, which is why I contacted Samuel Smiths and am arranging a meeting to find a way to secure its future.”
Samuel Smiths is known for only selling its own beers at low prices in its pubs, which it does not allow to play music. Mobile phones, laptops and swearing are also all banned in its establishments. These restrictions have been blamed for putting off potential new tenants.
Steve Rouse, a resident in Darley Abbey who also runs a bar in Derby city centre, said he had contacted the brewery about the pub but never took it any further because of the restrictions on it. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the building was turned into tenements which secured its future. Then, in 1979 it was transformed into the pub and made a ‘tied house’ with Samuel Smiths Brewery of Tadcaster. That meant that whoever ran the pub had to sell Samuel Smiths beers, unlike a free house.
“I think the restrictions stop people from wanting to run it,” said Mr Rouse. “People who take on a pub or bar, like me, want to do their own thing to it. I think the brewery needs to be more flexible. It could be really successful. A lot of people come to Darley Abbey because of the park and there are lots of holiday rentals because people come for the weekend so it could do very well but whoever takes it on will want to do their thing with it.”
Jacqui Holt owns holiday rental cottages in Darley Abbey next to the pub and agrees the closure of the Abbey Inn has been a huge loss to the area. “It was such a lovely pub and had such a unique character,” she said. “It was really a tangible part of Darley Abbey’s history. It would be a real asset to the area as a pub. We have really fantastic wine bars and restaurants here but not everyone wants to go to a wine bar; we need a traditional pub like this too.”
Linda Stuart of Samuel Smiths believes the offer for new managers should be appealing. They are offering management to a live-in couple who would enjoy free rent and utilities and a wage of £20,000 a year each, but they must pay a £1,000 fidelity bond. She said: “It’s been a difficult time for pub managers during COVID and now, afterwards, I’ve seen a lot of other pubs, not Samuel Smiths ones, close. A lot of the time that’s because prices are going up and it is hard work. At our pubs we pay staff wages, we buy in the food and the beer and they don’t have to pay rent or utilities, it’s a lot of costs managers don’t have to worry about. They also get a reliable wage.” Despite this, no-one has yet come forward. She added: “I think the hospitality sector in general is struggling to retain and attract staff at the moment.”
While the pub remains closed, the community is becoming increasingly concerned about the preservation of the historic, Grade II* listed building itself.
Derby historian Maxwell Craven said: “The fabric of this pub is what is important. It is the only substantial standing part of the former Abbey – the biggest monastic establishment in medieval Derbyshire.”
Mr Grimadell said he hoped he would be able to work with the brewery to help find a way to get the pub reopened. He has also enlisted the support of Derby North MP Amanda Solloway. She said: “Since the pub’s closure in 2019, a number of concerns have been voiced and uncertainty still remains over the pub’s future. That uncertainty has been very difficult for residents and I have written to the pub’s proprietors on that matter.”
Anyone interested in running The Abbey can email lstuart@samuelsmiths.biz.
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Photo shows Alan Grimadell (second row from bottom, centre), with Amanda Solloway MP (Bottom Centre), Councillor Ged Potter (bottom right), Councillor Mick Barker (behind Cllr Grimadell) and concerned residents outside the Abbey.
For more information, call Kirsty Green on 07970627385 or email kirsty@penguinpr.co.uk.
