News / Pubs
Celebration as closed Bedminster pubs begin to reopen
The second of four pubs in south Bristol that closed on the same day has announced it is to reopen.
A notice outside the London Inn in Bedminster says it will resume business from 5pm on Friday.
The boozer, which will be run by a new licensee, unexpectedly closed alongside the Albert Lounge, Black Cat and Tap & Barrel at the end of March.
is needed now More than ever
The Black Cat on West Street was the first of the four to reopen, with a party held there on Good Friday to mark the occasion.
The Black Cat was the first of four closed pubs in Bedminster to reopen – photo: Charlie Watts
All four pubs are owned by the same person – but closed after the previous licensee said she could could no longer continue due to rising costs.
Darren and Caroline Godfrey are the new licensees of the Black Cat, which is being managed by their friends, Mark and Katie Whiteman.
Mark, who has worked in and out of pubs for the last 20 to 25 years, said it was a “no-brainer” when him and his wife were asked to take on the pub.
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“It was our local pub, so we drank here, knew the pub and a lot of the customers,” the 44-year-old from Knowle told Bristol24/7.
“We’re going to try to keep it pretty much as it is but maybe a few months down the line look into trying new, different things.
“There were a lot of local singers, entertainers booked in and we’ve honoured all of those bookings.”
He added the reaction to the Bedminster locals closing was “huge” and “a lot bigger than what we expected”.
“We expected it around here because everyone drinks in these four pubs, but it went a little bit crazy,” he said.
The London Inn, on the corner of British Road and Cannon Street, is set to reopen on Friday – photo: Charlie Watts
The London Inn will be run by different people to the Black Cat, who said in a statement they “hope to see a lot of locals and also new faces”.
There is also speculation the remaining closed pubs – the Albert Lounge and Tap & Barrel – could also reopen, but nothing confirmed as of yet.
Main photo: Charlie Watts
Read next:
- Four pubs close across Bedminster in one day
- A-Z Bristol pub crawl: The Foresters, Downend
- Long-running social club set to close
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