I’ve been there in 1993. A bunch of guys took me there and I asked a dumb question “what was this place before it became a pub? They responded, A PUB!”
The current operator of the pub in St. Albans announced on Friday that they have filed for bankruptcy, blaming “a sustained period of extremely challenging trading conditions” — a similar refrain to a number of historic British pubs that have closed during the pandemic.
“Along with my team, I have tried everything to keep the pub going. However, the past two years have been unprecedented for the hospitality industry, and have defeated all of us who have been trying our hardest to ensure this multi-award-winning pub could continue trading into the future,” Christo Tofalli, who ran the pub, said in a Facebook post. “It goes without saying I am heartbroken: this pub has been so much more than just a business to me, and I feel honored to have played even a small part in its history.”
The Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, which poured its first drink in 793, has run into financial difficulties as a direct result of the pandemic. A sad sad day for British heritage and our Hospitality sector
www.foodandwine.com/news/britains-oldest-pub-closes-ye-olde-fighting-cocks-st-albans
h/t John Dutton