New landlord envisages £1m project to transform pub

Dominic O’Connor walked upstairs to the first floor of the Crown Tavern to the flat he still lives in with his wife Gloria in order to get a key to a locked door off one of the pub’s many rooms.

He turned the key to reveal behind the door a large storeroom with a whole variery of items gathering dust from the 30 years that he and Gloria ran the Crown in St Jude’s, from fruit machines to light fittings.

Dominic and Gloria were landlords until April and long before their time here, this high-ceilinged room used to be the home of St Jude’s Boxing Club, with some of their former locals once able to fondly recall the days of boxing behind the pub on Lawfords Gate.

The building behind the Crown Tavern that used to be the home of St Jude’s Boxing Club

The boxing club is believed to have been based here until the 1950s

Dominic, 83, and Gloria, 81, have memory after memory of the Crown. After becoming landlords in September 1993 and building up a fiercely loyal customer base, with some people coming from as far away as Gloucester each week to drink the Bass on the bar, they pulled their last pint earlier this year as they both admit they were getting too old to run the pub.

“But I just definitely didn’t want to see the Crown turned into flats like so many other pubs across Bristol,” Gloria told Bristol24/7.

And that’s where Sam Gregory, the landlord of the Bank Tavern in the Old City and the Bell in Kingsdown, comes into the story, with a private sale now completed and Sam hoping that after a bit of work, he will be able to reopen the Crown in February.

Now that he has the keys, Sam has ambitious plans ahead for the future of the building including a private dining room upstairs – but one thing that he promises is that Bass will continue to be served here.

Inside the Crown, which is due to reopen in February

Bass will continue to be served at the bar

“This place was a madhouse,” said Gloria, saying that men’s dart used to be played on Monday, cribbage on a Tuesday, mixed darts on Wednesday, ladies darts on Thursday, more darts on Friday, and a rest from darts on Saturday until more darts on Sunday.

Sam also promises to keep the electronic scoreboard still on the wall next to the dartboard, above which are a number of darts trophies.

“We have had great people here,” Gloria remembered. “Really nice people. Up until we closed, we had Saturday night karaoke for the older ones. We have always catered to the older ones.

“We were like a family. Your customers, you get to know tham. I had customers who if they were going away would tell me so I wouldn’t worry about them, especially when they were getting on…

“The night we closed, I cried my eyes out. Every customer I said cheerio to cried their eyes out, but then we still see them anyway.

“I think the biggest wrench will be when we actually go through the front door but then again we can always come back!”

The bar will remain in its current location when the Crown reopens

The electronic darts scoreboard will also be staying

League positions are still on display from when the Crown had a number of different darts teams

Sam said that he had popped into the Crown a few times for karaoke, and was introduced to Dominic and Gloria through a mutual friend once they had made the decision to close the pub.

“This is part of my quest to save pubs from being redeveloped,” said Sam.

“It’s very important for us to have a pub that serves the community that it’s in. There are a lot of communities that don’t have a focal point and it’s important that there is a focal point because it’s important for people to find a place.

“Pubs like this are placemakers. It’s a hub of the community.”

The Crown Tavern overlooks the historic Lawfords Gate which used to be a main entance to Bristol

Sam said that the refurbishment project is likely to cost as much as one million pounds, with him receiving financial support from some kind and generous family and friends.

It will take some time to complete the project, with the front bar being opened first in February just serving drinks as work continues behind the scenes to bring Sam’s vision to life.

Sam said that gentrification in St Jude’s “is a necessary evil”, adding: “I felt like the character of the Crown really fitted into the model of our pubs.”

The bar will remain where it is with the fireplaces opened up and the decor “freshened up” from its current green colour scheme, with scaffolding appearing on the outside of the pub early in the new year.

“The exciting thing for us is using the area out of the back as a dining space and events space, as well as developing the upstairs into private dining rooms and function rooms, because this site is absolutely huge…

“I am feeling elated. It’s a very exciting opportunity for us to make a mark.

“Ask the people of Bristol, do they want more student flats or do they want a pub?”

The frontage of the Crown will be repointed before the pub reopens in February

Follow the Crown Tavern on Instagram: @thecrowntavernbristol_

All photos: Martin Booth

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