Sound as a bell
Widcombe’s Ring O’ Bells is bouncing back after lockdown. Nancy connolly pays the popular pub a visit as the punters return.
It is so great to see our pubs back in action after such a long time – we have missed them so much in the last few months. We all realise now what an important part pubs play in our lives, a place to meet friends and family away from the home, the chance encounters with likeminded people, chatting to the staff and chewing the fat with locals and neighbours.
They have never been more valuable; for people living alone they are a lifeline to the outside world.
The Ring O’ Bells in the Widcombe area of
Bath is an absolute gem, and owner Mick Dempsey is so much more than a pub landlord.
Mick gives customers a lift home if necessary, and he looks after elderly regulars - even taking them to hospital or other medical appointments.
He and his wife Liz started from scratch at the Ring O’ Bells after soaring rents forced them out of the Ram a few years ago.
They are the lifeblood of the pub and such an important part of Widcombe and Bath, and it is hard to imagine life without them. Regulars followed Mick across the road from the Ram to the Ring O’ Bells - and the rest, as they say, is history. Mick and Liz have made the Ring O’ Bells their own; it’s now a thriving pub in Widcombe, one of the best villages and just outside Bath, far enough to feel you are away from the madness. Manager Nathan Banks helps Mick run a fine establishment even in these challenging times. Having been closed several times during the lockdowns, the Ring O’ Bells has bounced back in true style and adapted to the challenges of Covid. Nathan said: “We had to change to adapt to the new restrictions, which is why we have concentrated on the garden space. We have been working hard on it since the last lockdown to try to get it ready for reopening.”
Not many people know it, but there is a garden upstairs at the back of the pub – you have to go around the side to get to it.
A true sun trap, they have created a really pretty beer garden with space for 55 to 60 people.
The menu has also been slightly changed to adapt to the new outdoor arrangements, but all the pub classics are there.
Heaters have been installed so customers can sit out late into the evening and the garden gets wonderful evening sunshine across Widcombe Crescent, making it a wonderful place to sip a beer and watch the sun go down.
The first week of reopening was really busy.
Nathan said: “It was manic, there were queues down the street. It has all calmed down now, we are still getting huge support from our regulars and other local people, and students.
“We are really delighted with the garden; we are expanding it further now so people can come and sit in the afternoon and evening sunshine and enjoy the warm weather.
“It is so great to be open again and Widcombe is such a wonderful place to be.
“It is great to see everybody again, getting back to normal, enjoying themselves,” he said.
All through lockdown the pub has been delivering takeaway fish and chips on Friday nights and Sunday roasts. That will continue but on a much smaller scale now the beer garden is in full swing.
We raise a drink to them and all the independent pubs in Bath during these difficult times.