The Old Crown

For anybody who has a pre/post match drink in the Old Crown and was planning to do so on Saturday think again.
On my cycle home on Tuesday approx. 18.00hrs I passed the landlord who was on the Lwr Bristol Rd walking into town, and then as I passed the pub it was closed with a paper sign posted in the window but I didn't stop to read.
This morning on the cycle into work it is now, very solidly, boarded up.

I knew Eric had left last Sunday (Mr Hill being the source of all knowledge as usual...), but had hoped they'd found someone to run it. Sadly, if it has been boarded up, it appears not.

Perhaps it could be included in the Community Buyout Scheme

Please don't shoot the messenger, but the latest I had heard (about 3rd or 4th hand) was that this pub would be closed for a few weeks, to allow for 'refurbishment', then it would reopen in new hands.

Refurbishment!!!
That all we need. Another Gastropub in Twerton with an influx of yuppies. Gentrifying the area and pushing up the property prices and then complaining about the noise and crowds on a Saturday afternoon.

You'll have to spend your money in the club now boys. Maybe the club will wake up to the fact that there are never enough bar staff and bring in a few more for Saturday.

The pub of choice for many a stripe. Sad news indeed. See you in there for a pre match balsamic reduction . I think not.

UTC

Peteboa wrote:The pub of choice for many a stripe. Sad news indeed.  See you in there for a pre match balsamic reduction . I think not.

UTC

Given the trend towards craft beers you'll probably be offered a pint of 'balsamically reduced organically hopped' etc anyway if it re-opens.
In the words of the great Bill Smarme, mine's a pint of Watneys Starlight or Whitbread Trophy.

Elmore James wrote:You'll have to spend your money in the club now boys. Maybe the club will wake up to the fact that there are never enough bar staff and bring in a few more for Saturday.

Not a chance. Will be staying in the Charmbury, or going to the Oak more often, absolutely no way am I going in Charlie's.

Twerton is slowly changing - young professionals moving there because of the cheap house prices/rents, hundreds of students in the area now etc. It means there'll be a lot more disposable income in the area, but probably also people a lot fussier about how and where they spend it.

As Twerton slowly changes, it wouldn't be a great surprise if its most visible pub did as well in fairness.

turnstyle13 wrote:Refurbishment!!!
That all we need. Another Gastropub in Twerton with an influx of yuppies. Gentrifying the area and pushing up the property prices and then complaining about the noise and crowds on a Saturday afternoon.

Er, could you point me in the direction of a gastropub in Twerton? Can't think of one myself, though the Royal Oak does a nice pickled egg to go in your crisps.
Come to think of it, that's what I call gastro, especially with a pint of Wychwood cider.

I was wondering the same thing. There isn't anything resembling a gastropub in Twerton.

SteveBradley wrote:Twerton is slowly changing - young professionals moving there because of the cheap house prices/rents, hundreds of students in the area now etc. It means there'll be a lot more disposable income in the area, but probably also people a lot fussier about how and where they spend it.

As Twerton slowly changes, it wouldn't be a great surprise if its most visible pub did as well in fairness.

More lib dem claptrap eh steve 'Twerton is definitely changing, for the worse that is over run with drink, drug problems run down high street. Those young professionals you speak of soon clear off after a while, as for the students what do they actually bring to the high street, only here for half the year and there main purchases are Drink and food i e Lidl,sainsburys, and soon to be costa right next to them

Actually the bar has a great feel to it what with the big picture window. Could be a thriving social hub.

Which one, the Crown or Charlie's/Randalls?

Jon_BOA wrote:

Elmore James wrote:You'll have to spend your money in the club now boys. Maybe the club will wake up to the fact that there are never enough bar staff and bring in a few more for Saturday.

Not a chance. Will be staying in the Charmbury, or going to the Oak more often, absolutely no way am I going in Charlie's.

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if, while it is closed, a few people use the bar instead then every little bit of extra revenue can only help the club.

As for Twerton itself, having lived there for nearly ten years, I don't recognise it as "over run with drink, drug problems run down high street". Of course, it has it's share of that but so do many areas of Bath and other cities where it is much worse. The shops on the High Street are fine for any suburb and I have never felt uncomfortable going down the High Street at any time day or night. And in the time we've lived there our car has been broken into once, so it is hardly a crime ridden area either.

Unfortunately, Freeview's opinion of Twerton is probably the more widely held one and will always make it harder for the club to attract people, either for games or other activities.

I've been in E Twerton, near Lansdown View/Jews Lane for 13 years. Very nice it's been too with hardly a peep out of anyone. Twerton is a pretty large area and it's only a few parts that have 'problems'.

Having lived in London and teaching in London a great deal, I have to say that Twerton's image is exaggerated by being relative to the rest of Bath.

yuffie wrote:

Jon_BOA wrote:

Elmore James wrote:You'll have to spend your money in the club now boys. Maybe the club will wake up to the fact that there are never enough bar staff and bring in a few more for Saturday.

Not a chance. Will be staying in the Charmbury, or going to the Oak more often, absolutely no way am I going in Charlie's.

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if, while it is closed, a few people use the bar instead then every little bit of extra revenue can only help the club.

As for Twerton itself, having lived there for nearly ten years, I don't recognise it as "over run with drink, drug problems run down high street". Of course, it has it's share of that but so do many areas of Bath and other cities where it is much worse. The shops on the High Street are fine for any suburb and I have never felt uncomfortable going down the High Street at any time day or night. And in the time we've lived there our car has been broken into once, so it is hardly a crime ridden area either.

Unfortunately, Freeview's opinion of Twerton is probably the more widely held one and will always make it harder for the club to attract people, either for games or other activities.

My opinion of Twerton is one of a person, who was born, live and run a business in Twerton for over 50yrs so can see the changes it has been through. There has has been more drug factory's busted in the last 5 yrs than industrial ones created anywhere else in the county. 2 in poolemeade . 1 redland park, lower bristol road 2, twerton high street 2 the decline over 20yrs has been immense and since the closure of the toilets it seems the most convenient place to piss  and jack up is behind the shops in the high street but people don't see this only the traders who have to pick up the mess some people obviously don't see the full picture along with the council.
Twerton currently ranks in the Top ten of the most deprived areas in the UK official,

I would be interested in where you got that last statistic. As far as I know, Twerton isn't even in the top 20 by a long margin.

No doubt Twerton has its problems, but for me it always seems to have a nice atmosphere and is an oasis from the sterile centre. I've always been amazed that none of the numerous boozers around the ground have succumbed to either closure or gastro makeovers.

Given that the Crown is owned by notorious pirates Enterprise Inns I assumed they'd be deploying their tried and tested strategy of running it into the floor, keeping it intentionally closed for a year then flogging for housing - nice big building for conversion and lot of space in the garden for a student block. Therefore very interested to see what the 'refurbishment' entails..

Not sure how scientific this is

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/10-worst-deprived-places-england-6548105

but if you type my postcode in it ranks 16,482 out of 38,244 as most deprived area. However, the other side of Twerton ranks 2881. Twerton Park is at 3603, so I guess you can say that part of Twerton ranks in the top 10% rather than the actual top 10.

This compares to 28,590 for my mums old house in Oldfield Park or 30,752 for where I work in Combe Down. On the other side Snow Hill is 13,233 and Whiteway 3304.

Yeah, in the 10-15% most deprived areas possibly but that is a long way from the 10 most deprived. Indeed, over 3500 away

Sorry typo 10%, is what i meant but that is high enough, but if you talk to some early years organisations they can offer a different stat that i won't go into now.
However like i said born and bred here, love the place really a lot of very very genuine folk live here i will probably die here, just can't stand political types trying to paper over things without offering solutions to an increasing problem .
On the subject of the High street it was once a place that had its own
petrol station/garage, cobblers, carpet flooring shop, butchers, green grocers, wool and textiles, large newsagents (kerrs) think entertainer keynsham some other that i can't remember it can be that again but its problems need to be addressed not ignored

Bringing this back to a Bath City-related theme, part of the Bid process was, of course, making sure that the club had a social policy, upheld its social responsibilities to the local area and had link with local social organisations. While a limited amount can be done before the club becomes community owned, there has been movement to this effect already and, where things can be done, they are and will.

Personally, in a world where physical social hubs are being reduced greatly, I think that, like football clubs, local pubs, schools, shops and even churches are to be cherished, valued and protected as vital elements of social cohesion especially for the elderly and those that are limited mobility/transport wise.