Silence over future of city pub needs to end... people deserve an answer now
THERE has been a five-year silence in Derby that shows no signs of ending. The Abbey pub in Darley Abbey has stood empty since closing its doors in 2019. Almost five years on, campaigners are trying to secure a future for the building – but their pleas for talks are not being met with a response.
Like the talks, there is silence where the former pub stands. It is a complete contrast to its former self.
The Abbey in its heyday was a thriving establishment. People would be seen waiting to get inside for a drink before the doors opened for the day.
An ancient monument and just yards away from Darley Park, the pub was a success – not just because of the people inside but owing to its character too.
And being a Samuel Smith’s Brewery establishment, the pub was known to be the cheapest in the city – regularly attracting new customers wanting to try its unique branded beers and who were pleasantly surprised when they were told the price.
I write this as a Local Democracy Reporter covering Derby. But before I started any journalism qualifications, I worked at the pub.
I had no previous bar experience and my plan was to start in a “nice and quiet” pub so I could learn how to pull a pint in, shall I say, a less pressurised environment.
But I soon found out that the small pub was rarely quiet – it was often packed to the rafters. It had many regulars, not just one or two, which created a family feel to the place. As Councillor Martin Repton said this week, the pub was at the “heart of the community”.
But those days are now a distant memory. Samuel Smith’s Brewery has closed the pub and it is not saying what its plans are for the future. Several stories have been run in recent years about campaigns and petitions to get the pub back open again. They have been met with silence from the brewery.
Councillor Repton – to his credit - has continued his efforts to seek a solution to save the pub. But just this week he said his latest pleas have hit a brick wall. There has been silence from the brewery to local media too, who have been trying to establish the issues stopping the pub from reopening.
But surely there comes a time when the silence has to end? Why can’t the public be told what the future is of a former public house? This is one of Derby’s most historic buildings – it deserves respect.
What is the future of this building? How many more years is it going to stay disused and empty? How does this help the community? Will we be saying the same thing in ten years? These are fair questions which are not being answered.
Councillor Repton says he has received no reply to a letter he sent to the brewery in January. He deserves a response, even if it is not the answer he wants.
Despite the latest setback, campaigners remain hopeful that a breakthrough can happen to trigger plans to reopen the pub once again. But these plans seem a long way off.
Samuel Smith’s says on its website that its bosses like a pub atmosphere which encourages conversation. So why is no talking allowed about the future of the building? And how long will this silence continue?