The Lake (pictured – taken from Rightmove listing) is the latest Hoylake pub to be made available for sale.
I don’t know the reasons why The Lake tenancy is for sale but it’s the latest Hoylake pub to go on the market. The Punch Bowl closed some time ago (that’s one pub sign gone), wasn’t turned into a Tesco after all and is now partly a plumbers merchants. The Blue Anchor closed for a few months and then reopened, while further along Market Street The Ship Inn is also for sale.
The Green Lodge, The Plasterers Arms and Hoylake Lights complete the list of pubs in Hoylake and there’s a handful of bars too, though Tides has gone and Coda Maine appears to be closed.
Why are local pubs finding business tough? Too few customers? A round of drinks costs too much? Rents and rates too high? Or don’t our traditional pubs offer a product that consumers are looking for today?
Have your say in the comments below.
I think Hoylakes a bit behind the times when it comes to pubs. West Kirby have a few places I’d drink in, but besides the odd traditional pub that has a bit of atmosphere, like the Plasterers Arms, there isn’t much on offer. The ‘contemporary’ bars in hoylake are usually pretty shoddy – poor decor, overpriced (£3 to get in to Jack Rabbit Slims! Hahahah!) crap music and poor food. I’d much rather jump the train into Liverpool, which I do on a regular basis. The Lake needs a refurb, decent food cooked on site, and some well priced local craft ales I reckon.
We are the licensees of The Plasterers Arms, in response to the comment about Hoylake being behind the times, the problems arose when the management of premise licences was put into the care of the local authority, there was a concerted policy of not issuing late licences in Hoylake, so drinkers had to travel to West Kirby for late night venues, so it made sense to spend the whole evening there, leaving Hoylake with empty bars and no taxi transport home, as all the cabs are in WK. there are only a couple of late licences in Hoylake, too few to make a decent pub circuit.
To those who wonder about the massive number of pubs closing permanently, one thought…….USE THEM, OR LOSE THEM, you would miss them if they went..
Sorry this may not be the right comment. Are you Pam originally from Woodfarm hey?
Well said Pam.
Also down to Greedy Enterprise.
They could have chosen a better photo ON A BETTER DAY…. No flowers or plants outside… Does make a better impression….
What a shame, my Grandad would turn in his grave. When he was too ill to go there he would send me with a jug for a pint of beer!
I completely agree with the previous comments re pubs in Hoylake. However, I am somewhat surprised at the sale of the Lake because it was only taken over by the current tenant last August. The demise of the pubs round here, notwithstanding the exorbitant prices, is in part due to the fault of the property owners (such as Enterprise etc) charging extremely high rents to the tenant managers. The previous owner of The Ship, now deceased very sadly, was a great friend of mine for many years and he really knew how to run a good traditional pub with a choice of well kept real ales – Geoff now sadly missed! His pub was always very busy because of the way he ran it and since he went all the other “traditional” pubs we had in the town have just gone “down the nick”! Very sad indeed and a way of life just disappearing. My friends and myself have now taken to going elsewhere on our Thursday night jaunts – no decent traditional pubs left round here any more. Let’s hope the new owners of The Ship will take note and not convert it into a bistro type “themed” establishment just because of the open golf coming here!
Sad to hear about The Lake. It played a big part in my life back in early 60s. Lyn (Evelyn) Harnan was the licensee then. She ran a tight ship. However its probably 20 + years since I was in there. Pubs are closing everywhere and we’re losing pub culture.
Don’t read nothing in to it
When will the pubs and bars realise they have to offer something that appeals – even the Lake struggled to put on a real ale and if you can’t get one in there you’ve no hope in the likes of Tides, Jack Rabbit, Panache etc. And real ales are no longer for the elbow pad brigade!
The Ship is the best by far but needs a makeover – keep it traditional but get with the times. Oh for that Lottery win…
We do have one real ale there but doesn’t sell that greatly but maybe we need a few more in there am not too sure but we just need to no what people want more of. It’s not easy trying please everyone but the more ideas that is given to us we will follow up.
I am the licencee of the lake now and have been since last august. We do everything that the customers are asking for. We try different entertainment, rock and roll bingo every Sunday,singers of a Saturday. We are waiting on a refurb to be done. But we are just as shocked that the pub has been put up for sale as enterprise have done this behind are backs.
That’s a surprise to me and a few others Louise, what happened to Jeff Povall? I thought he had taken over last August? However, It’s not the “dancing and singing” that the real ale customers want, it’s a nice place to go without all that and juke boxes and the telly’s and the gaming machines etc etc! You only have to look at the White Lion, a nice pub without all that and just a quiz on a Monday night – a busy place and just about the only traditional pub left hereabouts. Lessons to be learned for Hoylake??
Yes Jeff is my dad and we all run it together. we’re just trying what people are asking for and if that doesn’t work we will do what ever people want more ideas the better for us so we do no what people want. But as for enterprise inns there the ones that are doing us any favours we didn’t even no they had done this.
Also may I add that if people actually get from behind the key pads and get out support there local pubs and actually come in and see us personally we would be happy to oblige of what ideas you have. We have a great bunch of regular customers who come in the lake and we are happy catering for the people who drink in there and who stand behind there local.
I agree with Bill Lucas ,the White Lion is good well used pub with 4 real ales., NO television. children or push chairs . A good well maintained garden for the summer. All staff are very pleasant and obliging.
A pub cannot run without televisions, jukeboxes etc. you need football showing to get the punters in. It’s not the tenants of these pubs that are not doing there jobs properly it’s the brewery’s that are not backing us up enough.
The pub industry in the UK is suffering despite hoylake as a town always having a vibrant one. i remember when i was a young man ten years ago or so the lake and the anchor where three deep at the bar. Young people never went the ship as your where made to feel unwelcome, infact i remember being told they would serve us but they didnt normally serve young people! The anchor was vibrant but you always had the feeling you where being monitored. friendly though nevertheless, it died when it lost its community.
I dont envy anyone who runs a pub like the lake because it is a business and a liveliehood at the end of the day. I remember happy hour at the lake between 5-7 and that drew people in. I also remember the chaps who used to frequent the bar in the lake. nearly all sadly passed away or no longer can drink to health reasons which is a sad fact of life. there was a change of management and alot of people got bared purely for the notion of settling old scores and the lake began to die. its shown signs of resusitation and good luck to the pub.
But the enemey within is wetherspoons, they have crippled the pub industry throughout the UK.At first it was a catalyst which had a positive knock on affect to other pubs, but now its just a scruffy place full of delinquants and early morning alcoholics.
One issue is smoking. an issue that divides people, in germany the landlord of a pub like the lake or plasteres can decide whether to be a smoking pub or not, based upon the fact they dont sell food. that however is another debate all together…
Louise, I saw the tenancy for sale today on rightmove
Can you clarify the situation.?
Does anyone know what happened to the landlady Carole Hughes after her partner Mike Hughes died back in 2001.
Carol has passed and her service is today at the Lake pub. Stop on down today to share in her memory