Last orders at much-loved pub

A pub in Easton whose cheese rolls once went viral online has called last orders for the final time.

The landlord of the Sugar Loaf said he has made the “really hard” decision due to his deteriorating health, rising energy costs and people’s changing drinking habits.

Martin Donlin came to the boozer on St Mark’s Road in 2018 with no intention of working there long-term, but the 53-year-old said: “Customers took a shine to me”, so decided to stay.

Five years on, a crowd of regular drinkers enjoyed final pints at a send-off on Wednesday evening which combined a sing-song and the darts final before it finally closed its doors.

Martin Donlin is the landlord of the Sugar Loaf

From being diagnosed with cancer four days after reopening the pub in September 2018 to a global pandemic, it’s been a run of a sheer bad luck that has forced Donlin to reluctantly step back from the Loaf.

Donlin, who was born in Knowle West and lives above the pub with his cat, Morgan, said: “All of sudden last August, I had a massive brain haemorrhage and spent six weeks in hospital.

“My stroke left me partially blind and paralysed on my left side, which is hard as I’m left-handed. I’ve had to take on additional staff as I can’t do much myself which has brought on additional costs.

“Now we are in the winter we’ve got the heating on and bills have gone through the roof. We’ve got the lights, glass washer, fruit machines and screens that all need to be on, but it’s costing me £8,000 to £10,000 a month.

“It’s just become unviable to stay here now.”

The building needs plenty of work, including in an outhouse where the roof is crumbling

One of Donlin’s fondest memories of the pub, which is owned by Star Pubs (a subsidiary of Heineken), was its inaugural music festival in May 2019.

“It’s been a great five years,” he said. “In the first year, we hosted Sugar Fields in the back garden which had 20 bands, DJs and entertainment and it went really well. It was going to be an annual thing but then lockdowns struck.”

More recently, the pub hit international headlines when a photo of its chunky cheese rolls went viral.

Speaking about the experience, Donlin said: “It coincided with the World Cup and it just went absolutely crazy. It went viral and we had someone phone up from Florida, the Buenos Aires Times, Radio Oxford, Radio Bristol, ITN and more. We’ve done the rolls for five years and they are still the same price as when we started – all at £1.50.”

From the George and Railway at Temple Meads to the Man in Space in Stockwood, both now closed, Donlin has been working in pubs all over Bristol since 1988.

“People go to university and college to get jobs and start careers, but you can’t train to run a pub,” he said. “Running a pub isn’t a job, it’s a way of life.”

“Before I opened the Sugar Loaf back up, the place was empty and boarded up. We redid all the cellar pipes and went around charity shops and car boot sales to buy furniture, bric a brac and pictures to make the place look tidy. I’ve put my heart and soul here since then, surviving lockdowns and health issues.”

A list of the Sugar Loaf’s landlords, from 1820 to 2023

Speaking about what the pub means to locals, Donlin said: “The Sugar Loaf is a traditional pub of the community. We’ve got Lesley in her 60s who is suffering from dementia and comes in nearly every day and chats with her friends. Without the pub, she is lost.

“We’ve got up-and-coming people who have moved into the area and we’ve got people who have lived here for years. Graham who lives around the corner met his wife here in the 1950s and still comes in every day.

“The brewery seems to think they’ve got someone in mind to bring in, but the building will need a lot of work. I’m now in the process of moving my property from the building.”

“I will miss it all, of course.”

The Sugar Loaf is on St Mark’s Road in Easton

All photos: Betty Woolerton

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