With a heavy heart, the landlord of a once thriving village pub in Devon has said he has been left with no choice but to submit plans to turn the historic inn into housing.
For seven years, Nick Silk has owned and run The Lamb Inn in Sandford. Due to the pub now consistently making a loss, it has been advertised for sale for the past three years.
During that time, Nick says not one single serious purchaser has come forward and the price has since been lowered by £125,000. However, it has still not helped.
To delay the pub’s likely fate of having to close, as of next week its Chargrill Restaurant will be no more. The Lamb Inn will instead be run as mainly a wet-led pub with a basic ‘pub grub’ menu in the evenings but will also serve traditional roast dinners on Sunday lunchtimes.
The Lamb Inn in Sandford
(Image: The Lamb Inn)
Due to the changes, this weekend, Nick’s team of 10 employees will be reduced to just two which will include himself. Last January, the pub employed 16 people.
Among the many reasons Nick gives from the pub’s downturn in fortunes is the economic climate, changes in peoples’ spending habits, hikes in business costs and an increase in the minimum wage. The 16th century former coaching inn is one of two pubs in the village and is prominently situated in The Square.
However, it does not have any parking and although villagers continue to support their local, they are said to not visit as much as they used to and are more careful with how much they spend when they do.
Nick, who will be celebrating his 70th birthday this year, admits the time has come when he can longer keep the pub going with his pension leaving him no alternative but to find a different way to sell it.
“No one wants to buy a pub,” he said. “We have been losing money for two years and it’s now not viable to run the pub with staff.
The Lamb Inn in Sandford
(Image: The Lamb Inn)
“I didn’t buy the pub to make money; I did it because it was a dream of mine. The idea was I would run it for five years and move on, but due to Covid and other factors, I am now in this economic situation.
“It’s not just us that is struggling but everyone. The village has now woken up to the fact we are about to close.
“Myself and the manager will run it for the next few months while the village tries to raise funds to buy it. Community asset grants of up to £250,000 have now gone so some individuals in the village are thinking of getting together to buy it as a business opportunity.
“They aren’t looking to make a fortune out of it, but are hoping to keep the pub going. I have said that I am happy to hang on here to see if they can do that, but my pension fund is tied up in the pub so I need to make it work for me.
“I submitted a change of use application for the pub to housing to the council at the beginning of this month. I’m doing my utmost to help because once a pub closes it is ridiculously difficult to reopen. “
The Lamb Inn in Sandford
(Image: The Lamb Inn)
The details of the planning application were not yet on the council’s website as of January 10. The Lamb Inn currently remains open seven evenings a week, and Sunday’s from 11.30am to 8pm.
It has seven hotel rooms, which are still available to let, and for hire is its function room which was initially envisaged to bring the pub a steady income from weddings and private events. However, it has not materialised.
Nick explained: “We set ourselves up to do smaller weddings and have hosted 47 in the last three years, but most of those were in the first year. People don’t have the money they did, unfortunately. They are either going abroad or are putting their money towards a mortgage rather than a wedding.
“I spent a lot of my own capital to convert the pub as it was run down and fairly unloved when I took it over. The function room was just a shed so we insulated it and turned it into a proper room.
“I have tried absolutely everything I can think of. We have hosted every different type of night from ferret racing to quiz nights. Over the last two to three years we have had over 40 bands perform here and we have had charity events that have raised up to £20,000 for charities in the last couple of years.
A hotel room at The Lamb Inn in Sandford
(Image: The Lamb Inn)
“We have pool tables to try and attract people and since I came I have tried to attract a younger customer base as it was mostly people above 60, but they are ones that are being financially squeezed right now. For village pubs to work, you need to get the younger generation in.
“The community is using the pub, but they are just using it less and when they come here they don’t spend as much as they used to because they don’t have the money to.
“We thought about investing in Sky but I worked out we would have to sell an extra 187 pints a month to just break even so that’s not going to happen and although it might attract the younger market, it would displace the older market.”
The 30-seater capacity restaurant inside the pub is said to be another reason for its inability to remain financially viable.
Nick said: “Once upon a time, food was the saviour of pubs, but due to different laws and legislation, the cost of living, the minimum wage going up and chefs becoming 30 per cent more expensive due to the pandemic, you need at least 50 seats to be a viable pub-restaurant.
“When people come to a British pub, they don’t expect to be turfed out after two hours. If we have below 30 we just can’t break even. What also hasn’t helped is our electricity bill used to be £700 a month; it is now £2,000.
“Last year we tried closing the restaurant Mondays and Tuesdays to cut costs. We just can’t keep on running at a loss.”
Food previously served at The Lamb Inn in Sandford
(Image: The Lamb Inn)
Nick, who has spent much of his career working in the hospitality sector in marketing roles, says he remains hopeful that the pub can be saved but does fear for the pub industry as a whole.
He said: “Within the next 24 months, I think there will be a culling of pubs everywhere. I have no idea how leaseholders survive in this market. At least I am a free house which has helped.
“Mentally I am happy to stay here. Ultimately, I love this life but physically it is getting more difficult. Running a village pub is great fun, especially one like The Lamb Inn as it’s such a beautiful pub.
“I have put my heart and soul into this place, as have my fabulous staff. We have all tried our utmost to keep it going.”