The James Anderson Pub in Britain has been renamed as “The Three Bellends” in protest against the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. One of Britain’s oldest pubs, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, has closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. File Photo by Peter Powell/EPA-EFE
Feb. 7 (UPI) — One of the oldest pubs in Britain has closed its door because of coronavirus restrictions that have starved the business of customers.
The Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, had been operated by Christo Tofalli for the past 10 years but has been in business since 793 AD. Tofalli said he could no longer make payroll with the current restrictions.
“I’m a publican, not a politician,” Tofalli told the Times Monday. “I don’t want to moan, I’m just pragmatic. Two Sundays ago was when we served our last customers, and it was like a death, packing up our numerous awards, our whole success. It was like a funeral, like losing someone.”
Tofalli, who wrote about the pub’s demise on Facebook, said trading conditions were difficult before COVID-19, the pandemic gave the establishment a “devastating” sucker punch.
“It goes without saying I am heartbroken,” he said on Facebook. “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. I am even more heartbroken for my incredible team and the wider Fighting Cocks family.
“I would like to thank my loyal staff, all the visitors to the pub, particularly the regulars, but also those from all over the world, the suppliers, the bands and musicians who have played here, the St. Albans community and my friends and my family, for all their love and support for the last 10 years.”
The historic pub is yet another entertainment victim in Britain, which was limping along before the pandemic. According to the Office for National Statistics, nearly one-fourth of the country’s pubs have suffered the same fate, with more than 11,000 shutting down from 2008 and 2018.