Britain's ‘cheapest pub' suddenly SHUTS after 500 years because owner ‘unhappy about photos of it being shared online'

Scottish Sun

22-05-2025

SHUTTERS DOWN Britain's 'cheapest pub' suddenly SHUTS after 500 years because owner 'unhappy about photos of it being shared online'
A PUB dubbed the "cheapest" in Britain has suddenly shut up shop after 500 years.
Locals have been left shocked after the owners revealed a bizarre reason with a notice on the door.
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The Abbey, Derby, posted the handwritten note on the door saying they were unhappy about photos of it being shared online.
Credit: Google maps
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The brewery operates 200 pubs across the UK and is known for it's strict rules from owner Humphrey Smith
Credit: Google maps
The Abbey, Derby, posted the handwritten note on the door saying they were unhappy about photos of it being shared online.
The 22-word notice reads: "Closed!!
"Due to someone posting pictures of the Abbey on social media.
Sam Smith has taken the alcohol and closed these premises."
Samuel Smith's Brewery owns the pub and it has been suggested the current landlords had broken policies and were dismissed as a result.
The brewery operates 200 pubs across the UK and is known for it's strict rules from owner Humphrey Smith.
Such rules include a no-swearing policy, no televisions or jukeboxes and a ban on the use of mobile phones or laptops in its public houses.
Just days prior to the closure, a Facebook account with more than 125,000 followers posted 18 pictures of the pub, inside and out.
The Great British Pub Crawl account, a page run by Dale Harvey and his wife, Holly, follows the couple as they attempt to visit every boozer in the UK.
They posted the photos on Saturday, May 17 alongside the caption: "Not every day you are asked to grab photos or a video in a Sam Smith's pub."
It's not clear whether the post was the reason behind the closure.
The pub is one of the last surviving buildings from an extensive monastery, dating back to the 15th century.
The sudden closure has left locals stunned, with many taking to social media to express their disappointment and confusion.
While the brewery has offered no official explanation, insiders suggest the landlords were dismissed for allowing, or failing to prevent, photos of the pub being shared online, a clear breach of company policy.
The closure marks yet another abrupt ending for a Samuel Smith's venue, following similar shutdowns in Bradford and London, and raises fresh questions about the brewery's management style and the long-term viability of its rule-heavy model in the digital age.
The Abbey is far from the only British boozer pulling its last pint.
A string of beloved pubs are closing their doors, with punters and landlords alike left heartbroken as pressures in the hospitality industry hit boiling point.
In East London, the historic Gun pub in Homerton has shut down after 160 years of service.
Once a bustling local favourite, the venue was brought back to life in 2014 following a major revamp by landlords Nick Stephens and his partner Hanna-Sinclair Stephens.
Despite surviving the Covid crunch thanks to a heroic crowdfunding campaign that raised over £30,000 in a single day, the couple say the pub has now become 'unsustainable'.
'It was hugely popular, but we just couldn't keep going,' Nick said.
'The capacity was only 90 — the numbers just didn't add up anymore.'
Meanwhile, in Nottingham, The Emerald, a vibrant Indian pub and sports bar, has also called time, just two years after opening.
Dubbed a 'labour of love' by its owners, The Emerald quickly became a community favourite for curry lovers and cricket fans alike.
But behind the scenes, soaring costs and the departure of a key business partner created what they described as 'emotional, financial and operational strain'.
In a heartfelt post, they thanked loyal customers:
'The Emerald was always more than just a pub—it was a cultural space… Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.'
Social media lit up with tributes from heartbroken regulars. One wrote: 'It was more like home to us.
Watching India win the World Cup there was unforgettable.'
And even award-winners haven't been spared, a Midlands pub, hailed as the region's best and a finalist for Desi Grill of the Year 2024, has also gone under, despite its short-lived success.
The wave of closures paints a grim picture for the UK pub scene, already battered by the pandemic and now facing soaring prices for rent, business rates and barrels.