Another pint? Hopes raised for historic St Albans pub closed by pandemic
With its beer garden overlooking the ruins of the Roman city of Verulamium, the historic Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub in St Albans has been pushed to the brink by Covid.
Two years of on-off lockdown closures, as well as the wider challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, have taken its toll on the pub which once held a Guinness World Record for the oldest pub in England.
It was announced earlier this month that the pub, which has foundations dating back to the year 793 and hosted Oliver Cromwell for dinner in the 1600s, had served its last pint.
But now its landlord, Christo Tofalli, believes the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks could be given a reprieve, urging regulars and its global fanbase to “watch this space”.
“It’s a very fluid situation at the moment, there have been lots of phone calls over the past few weeks with people interested in buying the pub,” he told the Guardian.
“The pub was a good business before Covid and we are really working hard to find a prospective buyer. We want to get it done as quickly as possible.”
Tofalli bought the pub 10 years ago, when it had been sitting derelict for nine months. He said he had been touched by the messages he had received since it was announced the pub was facing closure due to the Covid pandemic.
He said: “When I bought it 10 years years ago, it had been derelict for nine months, so to go from that to being one of the best pubs in the country, if not the world, has been an amazing achievement.
“We know how special this place is. We connect with our customers and it’s not just the locals, it’s people from all around the world who have been in touch with me.
“The messages start expressing great sorrow about the prospect of closure but it’s not long before people start reminiscing
Read more on theguardian.com
