The Wickham Arms - last orders

The Wickham Arms closes temporarily on Monday. The current landlord, the likeable Ted, will be leaving the Wickham Arms on October 31st. In a note to customers, he says:

"I feel sure that the Wickham Arms can only benefit by having new owners. The pub really needs a husband and wife team to bring it to its full potential so I hope that you will give them your full support, whoever they may be. 

"I have had some good times over the last 11 years and I hope some of you have too! I would like to thank you all for your custom, good company, and in some cases, friendship over the years."

The Wickham has been up for sale for a long time, and we know of at least three teams who were interested at various stages. It sounds as though new buyers have been found and we look forward to learning about their plans. 

The Wickham Arms is a handsome pub in a stunning location, with a big garden and a great terrace. It has more potential and is in far better condition than The Talbot was, when it was taken over and restored. However, it probably needs a complete change of direction in order to be viable in the long-term. 

It is possible for pubs to make money without selling food, but probably not on a quiet street in a residential area and especially not if your range of beers and wines is pretty limited. In recent years, the team made some minor changes in an attempt to broaden its appeal, but a more radical intervention is probably now needed. Hopefully, it can be modernised without losing any of its traditional charm and new customers can be wooed without alienating too many of its existing clientele. Nowhere did a better pub quiz than the Wickham.

Good luck to Ted and his family in any case. Bruise play tonight and Bobby Valentino plays tomorrow.