News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Closing time for village pub in Rodmell, near Lewes

3:00pm Wednesday 7th January 2009 in


Shocked villagers are mourning the loss of their local pub.

Landlady Sue Wood called time at The Abergavenny Arms in Rodmell, near Lewes, on New Year's Day, blaming spiralling costs.

The pub is the only one for miles around and is the latest to close in recent months as landlords across Sussex struggle to cope with rising beer prices and falling numbers of drinkers.

On New Year's Eve, the Hare and Hounds pub in London Road, Brighton, which dates from the 1820s, was repossessed by pub group Enterprise Inns.

It has been closed until further notice.

A spokeswoman for Enterprise Inns said: "It is our intention to reopen the pub as soon as is practically possible."

In Rodmell, villagers feel the closure of The Abergavenny Arms could have a huge impact on the community.

Has a pub closure impacted on your community? Tell us below.

Comments(19)

NoWaySeriously says...
3:46pm Wed 7 Jan 09

Villagers might be shocked and sad, but you know, if they'd used it it'd probably still be around!

Just like Woolworths, Adams, the Post Offices...

Use it or lose it, people.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

melita666 says...
4:01pm Wed 7 Jan 09

I went there once with some mates on a bike ride and they were so *horrible* to us when we tried to eat our own sandwiches in the beer garden with out pint that we downed our pints and left, never to return, and have recommended against the place since. If they'd been civil we'd have stayed.

Why should people give custom to places they don't feel welcome or like?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Pontop Pike says...
4:20pm Wed 7 Jan 09

Shocked villagers are mourning the loss of their local pub.

Hmmn, which many villagers never used. Cry baby cry!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Rostrum says...
4:34pm Wed 7 Jan 09

Greedy 'Pub-Co' companies charging sky high rents….
Greedy Councils for their sky high business rates….
Greedy water companies for their sky high water charges….
Greedy Brewers charging sky high for their products….
Greedy Government for Taxing it all to the hilt…

What does this leave the Publican. A 100 hour a week job earning less money that road sweep…

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Wilftop says...
4:48pm Wed 7 Jan 09

what has a pub closing got to do with water charges Rostrum

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

kemp town racer says...
4:49pm Wed 7 Jan 09

Pubs are like any other business, give the punter what they want and more of them would survive. Too many rely on student bar staff, who only want to talk to their own mates, mucky toilets, uncomfortable seating and music so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone have a conversation.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Charismatic Andrew says...
4:55pm Wed 7 Jan 09

melita666 wrote:
I went there once with some mates on a bike ride and they were so *horrible* to us when we tried to eat our own sandwiches in the beer garden with out pint that we downed our pints and left, never to return, and have recommended against the place since. If they'd been civil we'd have stayed. Why should people give custom to places they don't feel welcome or like?
hhhhhmmmmmmmmm..... a pub that sells food being a bit put out when you sat in their beer garden eating your own sandwiches?!?

what extraordinarily unreasonable behaviour.

You're the type of person who thinks it's ok to go to a bed shop to catch a couple of hours of kip.....

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

IKDRF says...
5:33pm Wed 7 Jan 09

bit surprised. the pub was very well known.sign of the times i suppose.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

dolphy says...
5:34pm Wed 7 Jan 09

I wouldn't eat my own sandwiches in a pub, even in the garden. Grow up, that's all I can say about that. There are certain pubs doing very well, because they are friendly and well run. A lot of pub staff are utterly clueless when it comes to hospitality. It's almost funny, like a tragic Fawlty Towers. Anyone been to a less friendly pub than the William the Fourth on Bond Street? Wow.......

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

MoreMikey says...
6:03pm Wed 7 Jan 09

I totally agree with Andrew and Dolphy: I'm surprised melita666 didn't take his or her own beer along too.

From what I've read (and I don't live in the UK any more), people are choosing to stay at home to get sh*t-faced, because it's cheaper. Unfortunately, that makes it impossible for the publican to stay in business, and it's the people that DO use the pub that suffer as a result. Of course, the stay-at-homes are the ones complaining.....

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

platelet says...
6:36pm Wed 7 Jan 09

May I thank the person who possibly reacted to a comment I made yesterday regarding the speed of downloading pages on the Argus site.
Much better today - top marks.
Not so sure about the photo of Jordan on the news headline page.
Are you certain that it is indeed the right person ?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Jim BB says...
7:19pm Wed 7 Jan 09

Such a shame. We used to go a couple of times a month. Friendly staff, good food and nice atmosphere. Hope it gets saved.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Real Brightonian says...
7:59pm Wed 7 Jan 09

Not a great deal of original comment to add really. All too often country pubs are not used by their neighbours and, as already stated, lowly paid staff, expensive drinks and poor service are the hallmarks of inefficiency. As for eating your own food? Get real you silly person.
Landlords, publicans, brewers and corporate entities in Brighton & Hove, start thinking outside the box in order to bring customers in otherwise there will dozens of pub closures here to; in fact, stop being greedy!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Portlock Seagull says...
9:55pm Wed 7 Jan 09

With an insight into this industry, my sympathies are with the landlords. Opinions may differ over whether the pub does enough in terms of customer services but one thing they no one can dispute is this; the so called greed starts with the breweries, who sell wine to them at prices that they must pay as tennants which are higher than you and I could often get cheaper in supermarkets. There are many other factors, some of which have already been mentioned, but this one has a massive impact. Don't be so quick to judge anyone handicapped by such a competitive disadvantage.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

william of orange says...
7:16am Thu 8 Jan 09


Complain to Government...I'm sure "Bailout Brown" will be along with his chequebook to save it at our expense!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

MrPresident says...
4:44pm Thu 8 Jan 09

Before everyone jumps to conclusions I found the following passage listed about this pub on a pub review website. Before I get sued, I'm just pointing out some thing I found on beerintheevening. com

"The Abergavenny Arms ceased trading on 1st Jan 2009 at 6.00pm. The absentee landlady blames the credit crunch. Nothing to do with the three houses she is building in the car park or her policy of banning locals and firing chefs. Expect an application for change of use fairly soon - this 17th Century Pub is the only facility between Lewes and Newhaven yet has been deliberately run down by the owner - who has significant property interests locally - for commercial exploitation. Shame on you."

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

spore says...
7:49am Sun 11 Jan 09

There is another scenario that all of you have not considered - that the residents of Rodmell very much want to use the pub, but the food is of variable quality, the range of beer and wine quite poor, and the decor crusty. As a resident of Rodmell - I should know! The pub has great potential, but after going to places like The Ram in Firle, it's tough spending your money on a meal at the Abergavenny Arms, which is how it could have made it's money.

Also this pub is a Freehold - so the landlady can buy beer at any price she can get - and not the inflated prices that pubs tied to breweries have to pay. This is more a case of bad management, and a lack interest in being a land lady - not a lack of village support.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Super Dave says...
7:22am Fri 16 Jan 09

I closed my pub 18 months ago, I'm lucky in that I still own the building. Getting major grief from the local that used the the place once in a blue moon. Trying to get planning permission to convert the whole of the building into my home. Council planners are a real pain.
As for the guys who wanted to eat their own food in the pub beer garden, get a life. There is very little profit in the pint of beer you were drinking but the owner of the pub pay someone to clean up the mess you leave. We had a charity quiz night for the local Under Fives Group. Very few of the parents turned up to their own quiz night, one small group of local had the brass neck to bring there own soft drinks and crisps. They were never given the use of the lounge bar again.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

spaceshipman says...
11:33am Sun 1 Feb 09

I live in the village and went to the pub often (maybe i should have drunk a lot more if I'd known the community depended on it!) however I was a bit put off by the severe lack of smoking facilities in the winter (not even an umbrella) and it looked in need of a bit of an internal decoration which would have made it as cosy as its competition pub 4 miles away.
Also, the fact the car-park has been a building site (how did they get permission to build ugly houses in a pub carpark anyway?) wasn't exactly a welcoming gesture of the pub land lady for local or passing trade business.
Its loss is a terrible shame for the community and if permission is granted for change of use of that pub, I will leave the village and curse the local council forever more for being greedy, inhumane criminals.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

More News stories


Most popular







Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »

Local Businesses