New pub to close after six months (From Swindon Advertiser)
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New pub to close after six months
6:10pm Tuesday 19th June 2012 in News By Josh Layton
Craig Knight, manager Geoff Lee and Iain Harling outside Ellington’s in the town centre, which is shutting down
A TOWN Centre pub is bidding farewell to Swindon after just six months, having struggled to cash in on the late-night trade.
Ellington’s in Bridge Street shut on Sunday and will relocate to a bigger premises in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.
The pub opened in December and though afternoon food trade was brisk, late-night punters had been thin on the ground.
Manager Geoff Lee said: “We are gutted. We knew 90 per cent of our customers by name and the afternoon trade was absolutely brilliant.
“One lady has been coming here every day since we opened and we had businesses like Zurich and companies involved in the rail network booking tables.
“We had been doing 200 to 300 meals during the day, but after 5pm we were selling hardly any food, which is what we are about.
“Many of the people who do come out want cheap drinks and Friday night is a quiet night, which only leaves you with Thursday, which is student night, and Saturday.
“It’s a real shame and we are going to miss all of our customers.”
Ellington’s, which was set over two floors, was one of five pubs belonging to family-run chain The Number Works Family.
The venue, formerly The Glasshouse, offered a £2, £4, £6 and £8 menu, which received a glowing review from the Adver in January.
Geoff said the food had created a lot of business, but enticing diners through the doors after 5pm had proved difficult.
He believes Swindon is suffering tough trading conditions in common with other town centres around the country.
Geoff said: “Ellington’s did bring something to the town centre and had a good clientele who came in on a regular basis.
“But we didn’t come here to compete with the clubs. There wasn’t even a day with late-night shopping to keep people around.
“I came here from Spain with my partner having never been to Swindon before and on the whole it is a happening place.
“But it is experiencing the same problems as other town centres around Britain and in the end it just wasn’t feasible.
“It’s a shame that there will be another boarded-up pub in the town centre, but we had no other option.
“We will miss it big time.”
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