August 18, 2011 10.26 am This story is over 151 months old

City pub hiring after 20-month closure

Drink to that: The Horse & Groom, which has been closed for 20 months, is now hiring ahead of its reopening.

The Horse & Groom, which has been closed for 20 months, has started recruiting for reopening towards the end of the summer in a £200,000 make-over.

The pub, which is owned by Enterprise Inns, will be hiring around 15 staff for the bar, kitchen and management.

Enterprise Inns commented: “The Horse & Groom will be completely refurbished, including landscaping of the garden and the inclusion of a summer room/conservatory.

“We aim to complete the work and re-open the pub at the end of the summer.”

Ye Olde Crowne, which is owned by the same company, is also in the process of refurbishment and looking for new landlords.

Traditional feel

The Horse & Groom is now managed by Ever So Sensible, who also manage Dogma in Lincoln.

Scott Whitiker, Marketing and operations manager for Ever So Sensible, said: “This will be completely different from our Dogma bar. We are going for a traditional pub with real traditional food and real ale.

“The Horse & Groom is in a really iconic spot and great area. Drivers can’t help notice it and even though it has been closed for so long, it still hasn’t fallen out of the public eye.

“There are currently no plans for live music events, but with the extension, it is definitely an area for us to explore.

“I am very excited to open this pub to Lincoln and I think the public will appreciate it. You cannot beat a traditional English pub.”

Political Drive

Nationally, in the five years between 2004 and 2009, some 572 pubs are said to have been permanently lost following a sale with a restrictive covenant, potentially depriving thousands of regulars of an important community asset.

The Government recently launched a review of restrictive covenants, a legal clause that can be used to prevent community pubs reopening as public houses following a sale.

Speaking on the new legislation, Karl McCartney recently said: “Pubs are hubs of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy here in Lincoln.

“But time is being called at too many of our ‘locals’, depriving people of treasured places to get together in the community.

“We are putting the people back in charge, giving them the power to step in and save their much-loved community assets.

“By reviewing this restrictive red tape we will enable people to use their collective powers to ensure that their locals remain local and continue to thrive at the heart of every community”

Those interested in the available positions at The Horse & Groom can email [email protected]