Brothers aiming to get the Railway right back on track
Pops to a pub with a successful past to meet the brothers aiming to give it a new lease of life
BEFORE they could really get their new pub venture up and running, Derby brothers Gareth and Llwyd Griffiths got closed down by the government.
They would not have been the only new licensees in the position, of course, and maybe there is even an argument that, not having really got started, they were in a better position than a long-established business that was suddenly told to stop.
The brothers have taken on a Marston’s pub, the Railway Inn, at Cowers Lane, near Shottle, their first venture together.
It’s a big pub, not actually in the small village of Shottle at all but just up the road at the traffic lights by the Cowers Lane crossroads on the Duffield to Wirksworth road.
Like me, many readers will have passed it much more often than they have been in it, if they have been in it at all. But the brothers believe they can turn the Railway into a destination venue that people will not want to pass.
They were open, as far as opening was allowed anyway, for a grand total of 23 days before lockdown three shut them down completely.
Before I go any further, an anecdote about the Railway.
As I suggested, I had never set foot in it until this week but I knew of it because my late father told me stories of its popularity in the 1950s and 60s, when he, his best friend and a couple of others would pile into a car and head out to it for an evening’s entertainment.
Back then, a weekend evening would see the pub heaving with folk packed around the piano while the old lady playing it had everyone singing along and the drinks bought for her would pile up along the top of it.
My dad said she never failed to finish the lot by the time last orders were called but you wouldn’t expect anything different from an old pub story.
Drink driving was not such an issue back then and, by repute at least, dad’s best friend was one of those guys who could sink a bellyful of beer as if it had not affected him in the slightest before they headed back to Derby.
Once, they were stopped by the constabulary and merely told “be careful lads...” Different – and dangerous – times indeed.
Today, the trick for the brothers Griffiths is to make the Railway an attractive “go to” venue, perhaps without the emphasis on alcohol.
Both have a background in hospitality. Llwyd, a chef, was working at the Blue Bell at South Wingfield and Gareth on the bar at Breadsall Priory.
The idea of having their own pub together had been discussed over a pint a few times. We got talking about it during the first lockdown,” says Gareth.
“We’d always dreamt of doing something like this. We looked at this place and thought it had so much potential.
“We visited a few times. And we were thinking ‘they’re not doing this, they could be doing that...’
“I worked for a corporate company and the feeling of being your own boss and putting your ideas into practice is great. We took it over on October 5, opened on the eighth and had 23 days open. Of course, everyone says it’s risky, taking on a pub in the middle of the pandemic.”
Indeed. But, so far, so good.
“We didn’t want to be closed but it’s given us the chance to do things that we wouldn’t have had chance to do – without closing!” says Gareth.
“We’ve decorated throughout and we’ve built the outdoor areas. We wanted to do that and were doing it before Boris declared that pubs would reopen for outdoor service.”
There is plenty of room. The Railway has a huge car park. Gareth and Llwyd have got as far as they have with family and friends helping out and will be recruiting staff soon. Meanwhile, they have been heartened by the response to them continuing to do takeaway and delivery meals during lockdown.
“We did a few local leaflet drops but mostly it’s been by word of mouth, says Gareth. They have delivered meals as far as Ripley, Cromford and Ashbourne, not as a regular thing but to people they knew, and feel that many others who have been collecting takeaways have become friends and regulars already. This week, they opened the outdoor areas and were pleasantly surprised at how busy they have been.
“The first two days have been crazy,” Gareth told me on Wednesday, “quiet until one and then full outside all day. “I expected this week to be constant, then it will level off and probably depend on the weather.”
And then, they will be edging – hopefully – towards being able to have people inside the pub again. Visitors will find the pub bright, clean and spacious.
Further down the line, they can expect a quiz night and some live music: “Because it’s what the locals have asked for,” says Gareth.
It’s a big job, a big country pub like the Railway. But it’s not hidden away, it’s in a prominent spot and close to a lot of places.
I hope it works out well for them.
We’d always dreamt of doing something like this. We looked at this place and thought it had potential. Gareth Griffiths