Calls for revival of ‘brilliant’ pub forced shut over crime concerns
IT HAS STOOD EMPTY SINCE LICENCE WAS REVOKED
THERE have been calls to revive a historic Nottingham pub which was forced to close over concerns it was contributing to crime, but which campaigners say was “brilliant” in the past.
The licence of the Horse and Groom, at the junction of Radford Road and North Gate, Basford, was revoked during a special Nottingham City Council licensing panel meeting on August 30, 2022.
This was the result of long-standing police concerns about crime and disorder near to the former Shipstone’s pub. Neighbours previously said they had noticed a significant improvement in their lives since the venue’s closure, but now there are calls for the pub to be returned to its former glory.
Steve Westby, Nottingham CAMRA chairman, which promotes British pubs and clubs, explained that prior to troubled recent years the pub had been part of the prominent Shipstone’s brewery, which had its main complex on the other side of North Gate.
“It used to be the Shipstone’s social club but before that it had been the Horse and Groom,” Mr Westby said. “It was an excellent pub at one point. It had a good selection of beers, a lot of space, and lots of items relating to the old brewery so it was an excellent place to be.
“It used to have a sizeable function room, which you don’t see a lot of any more, where people would hold meetings and beer festivals.”
The Horse and Groom was built in the early 1900s on the site of an earlier Horse & Groom pub.
The current building had been frequented by the local community for more than 100 years, according to CAMRA. “We would like to see it come back, but there is not a lot of housing around so whether someone could make it pay I don’t know,” Mr Westby added. “In the past it was brilliant, and I’m sure people have fond memories of it, so it would be an asset to locals if someone could run it well.”
Despite local previous rumours of the building being turned into a bed and breakfast, no planning application has been submitted to change the use of the building. The pub looks unlikely to reopen anytime soon, as no new premises licence has been applied for.
Previously when contacted the owner of the pub said it was “on the back burner” and he did not comment on its future when recently approached by the Post.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, felt that while locals had enjoyed the quiet, the area would be better if a new venue was set up and run “responsibly”.
“There was all sorts of trouble there before, we had people peeing in our gardens and making all sorts of mess,” the homeowner on North Gate said. “I’ve lived here 25 years and in the last few years the pub got quite bad.
“It can’t now just be left empty though, something like a restaurant -–or even a pub that is run responsibility would be ideal.”