Marple Website Community Calendar
Archive => Archived Boards => Recommended Pubs & Restaurants => Topic started by: Dave on January 09, 2011, 10:27:11 AM
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Just letting everyone know that John Longworth, licensee of the Devonshire Arms in Mellor, will shortly be leaving for pastures new - namely, New Mills Golf Club. John and Liz have been running a good pub there for the past 13 years or so - they'll be missed. :'(
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I gather that the new licensee at the Devvy is to be the present landlord of the Hatters. Or is it landlady - I haven't been in the Hatters for a few years. :(
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AS far as I know that is the case. He takes over on the 1st April. Lets hope it's after noon. ;D
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I gather that the new licensee at the Devvy is to be the present landlord of the Hatters. Or is it landlady - I haven't been in the Hatters for a few years. :(
Tony has been the landlord at the Hatters since Mark and Anita Singleton moved to the Ring o' Bells. He keeps a good pint and always has Dissy Blonde on, which is my personal favorite Robbies brew. Hope that doesn't change!
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Happy to report Tony is doing a good job thus far.
Beer is consistently good, wine has decent choices at sensible prices. Good rioja for £12.
Of particular note its the newly appointed chef. Had a fantastic roast on sunday, good quality and terrific value at £7 something! The other half had an excellent fish and chips which was tasty and non greasy.
its a first visit and time will tell but we may finally have an alternative to the Hate & Hounds which we feel has become a little overpriced of late.
Recommended.
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Update - Tony from the Hatters left the Devvy, and was succeeded by a couple who I believe came from near Blackpool, who have been running the pub for the past few months. However, I understand that they will soon be leaving. See http://www.myrobinsonspub.com/vacancies/vacancy/79
Lets hope someone comes along who can restore this landmark pub to its former excellence.
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SMBC are also looking for major improvements.
See http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/business/devonshire-arms-stockport-225787.html (http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/business/devonshire-arms-stockport-225787.html)
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http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/council/stockport-metropolitan-borough-council/businesses/type/140807/takeaway-sandwich-shop
Quite horrific reading in some cases where no improvements have been made.
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http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/council/stockport-metropolitan-borough-council/businesses/type/140807/takeaway-sandwich-shop
Quite horrific reading in some cases where no improvements have been made.
Yep.
Golden Flower opposite the Co-Op gets zero points out of 5, urgent improvement necessary, recorded 14-Mar-12 and still same 30-Aug-12.
And to think I've eaten from there in the past. I'll go elsewhere until they smarten up.
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Further update: after two licensees have come and gone within two years, new tenants have recently taken over at the Devonshire Arms, which had become almost moribund in recent months. Darren and Louise seem a cheerful and enthusiastic couple, and things may be looking up at the Devvy at last. :)
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We all paid a visit last Saturday - great chips and very keen hosts.
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The latest news from the Devonshire Arms is not good. Darren and Louise left a couple of months ago. Since then there has been a succession of temporary managers put in by the brewery. Robinson's are advertising for new tenants (see https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/run-a-pub/pub-vacancies/devonshire-arms), but the word is that there is very little interest.
This is a landmark pub in the heart of Mellor, which in the past (between the mid-1980s and 2011, when John Longworth left) has been very popular and successful. If it went the way of the Travellers Call and the Lane Ends it would be a real disaster for the village. :-\
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The latest news from the Devonshire Arms is not good. Darren and Louise left a couple of months ago. Since then there has been a succession of temporary managers put in by the brewery. Robinson's are advertising for new tenants (see https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/run-a-pub/pub-vacancies/devonshire-arms), but the word is that there is very little interest.
This is a landmark pub in the heart of Mellor, which in the past (between the mid-1980s and 2011, when John Longworth left) has been very popular and successful. If it went the way of the Travellers Call and the Lane Ends it would be a real disaster for the village. :-\
Agreed but such a disaster for Robbies given the size of the site & thus the development potential? I only say this given what I have heard about at least some of the reasons behind Lou & Darren's departure.
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Exactly. Can't you just see a little estate of upmarket housing crammed into the car park and garden? :(
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Regrettably Dave, the death bells have been ringing for the Devvy for quite some time now.
The problem with most pubs now is that there quite simply is no business case for them. Even those where there is one, there is scant reward for a lot of hard work. How many pubs in the Marple area have closed in the last ten years. I can think of at least 5 without concentrating. There is surely more to come.
I went in the Royal Scot last Sunday evening there were 4 customers in total and that included my friend and I.
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The problem with most pubs now is that there quite simply is no business case for them.
Tell that to the people who run the Midland. Or the Norfolk, Or the Hare and Hounds (Mill Brow). Or the Oddies and the Royal Oak up the hill in Mellor. They all seem, in their various ways, to have lighted upon a reasonably successful business model. Yes, there will, sadly, be more local pubs going to the wall. But it's not inevitable.
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Hello Dave,
Saddens me to even have to try and prove my point. The Royal Oak is on its third management team in 3 yrs and expect another one of those pubs that you've mentioned to be looking for a new manager soon. When you are charging £23.00 for a bottle of wine that you can get in any supermarket for £6.00!
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Such a shame to read of The Devvy's demise. Mrs barndoor and I completed a Robinson's 'mystery shopper' visit there and everything about it was excellent: the effusive greeting from the landlady (who, from reading the previous comments, I gather would have been Louise), the drinks, food, cleanliness (the toilets were pristine), its overall appearance. It was obvious the landlady had a real pride in the place. I was so impressed I sent Robinsons a separate congratulatory e-mail in addition to completing the scorecard.
One thing that was missing, though, were customers. At the time of our visit there was a total of six: us, an elderly couple at the bar, and a separate couple who came in as we were leaving. Our visit was late-afternoon on a Saturday during the summer; I would have expected a few more drinkers than four to six at that time of the day.
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You're quite right barndoor, where are the customers ?
As a visitor to pubs (rightly or wrongly) most of my life, I've noticed in the last ten years the customer dwindle effect. It is particularly noticeable when you revisit a pub that you haven't been in for a year or so. I experienced it last week.
Dave mentioned the Royal Oak. I was in conversation with a previous licensee of that pub recently and he is a decent hard working, intelligent person. He told me that it was "impossible" to make any money in the place. New licensees have recently taken over, I wish them good luck, maybe they will do things differently.
As barndoor says, that's the big question now for most pubs...."Where have all the customers gone ?"
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Perhaps they have other things to do rather than drink alcohol and dine out.
There's a lot of competition for everyone's time these days.
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I doubt people are drinking any less - they are just doing it somewhere else!
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How right you are Melancholy, internet, Health clubs, Evening Classes in abundance, good supermarket wine, weren't around in the same proliferation twenty years ago.
My understanding Dave is that they are drinking more, they are just not doing it in the pubs.
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Update: the Devvy continues to be eerily quiet. :(
However, in the interests of research, of course, I have also been paying random visits to the Royal Oak in Mellor over the Christmas and New Year period and since, and I can happily confirm that this:
The Royal Oak is on its third management team in 3 yrs and expect another one of those pubs that you've mentioned to be looking for a new manager soon.
..... is not true. The Oak can be quiet at times, but at others, especially weekends and/or match days, it has been what my son calls 'rammed'! The management has indeed changed a few times recently, but touch wood I think the present couple are doing fine. :)
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But remember when the Oak was let to the current tenants, the advert for the Oak said for 12 months only, though this may have changed. I agree though it's on the up though it has an odd set of peaks times - it can be packed on normally "slow" evenings and empty on a Saturday night if there is no sport on
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Just for interest, and I can't confirm whether it's 100% accurate but I've been told that the Devvy was let by Robbies to a pub management co & that the current tenants are employees of said company. Done because of zero interest prior to this. Will be interesting to seeing time whether it has to always serve Robbies as part of the agreement.
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Yes, I haven't been in much recently but there's a blackboard outside giving the names of the couple who are now running the pub. Let's hope they manage to turn it round.
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Dropped in at the Devvy this weekend, and found out more about the latest set-up there.
The new couple now in charge are called Sarah and Adam. They work for a pub management company called Inglenook Inns. See http://www.inglenookinns.co.uk/.
After what has happened round here to pubs taken over by big chains, this may not at first sight appear to be good news - but bear with me. For a start, this is not a big chain - they run just 18 pubs, mostly around the north-west. And Robinson's have not sold the pub to this company: they have, apparently, entered into some kind of partnership with them, whereby the brewery still owns it but Inglenook run it. Most important of all, there will be a major refurbishment and extension scheme taking place some time in the next few months, which will mean the pub will at some stage be closed for about 10 - 12 weeks.
Obviously we'll have to wait and see what happens, but after a few years during which the Devvy seems to have been struggling, this development does at least raise the possibility of a better future.
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Dropped in at the Devvy this weekend, and found out more about the latest set-up there.
The new couple now in charge are called Sarah and Adam. They work for a pub management company called Inglenook Inns. See http://www.inglenookinns.co.uk/.
After what has happened round here to pubs taken over by big chains, this may not at first sight appear to be good news - but bear with me. For a start, this is not a big chain - they run just 18 pubs, mostly around the north-west. And Robinson's have not sold the pub to this company: they have, apparently, entered into some kind of partnership with them, whereby the brewery still owns it but Inglenook run it. Most important of all, there will be a major refurbishment and extension scheme taking place some time in the next few months, which will mean the pub will at some stage be closed for about 10 - 12 weeks.
Obviously we'll have to wait and see what happens, but after a few years during which the Devvy seems to have been struggling, this development does at least raise the possibility of a better future.
That's very interesting Dave. Are they still tied to Robbies brews or can they act more like a freehouse? The web site says they are teamed with Twaites in some way. Could do a lot worse than offer a nice drop of Wainwrights!
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I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect the pub will still be tied to Robbies.
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Was in there last night and after a slow start was really busy late on which is good news. I understand the planned refurbishment has hit some problems and is not likely to happen for some time; there is a problem with one of the walls that was going to be removed/ remodeled and the chimneys above.
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That makes sense. I believe the plan is to knock through the main bar into that little room that's behind it. Seems like a good idea, but that wall could well be holding the building up!
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Update: after several months delay, the Devvy has now closed for a major internal makeover. I believe it is due to re-open in May, by which time it will be quite different.
It's good news that at a time when other Robbies pubs are closing, this one is receiving serious investment, which suggests a measure of confidence in it on the part of the brewery.
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Robinsons have now published a planning application for the proposed extension and refurbishment of the Devonshire Arms.
http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage
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Dave, I encountered a technical error for some reason when I clicked the link, so I found the 'existing' and 'proposed' pages after a hunt around the planning.stockport.gov.uk site.
Here are the existing plans: http://tinyurl.com/devvy-existing (http://tinyurl.com/devvy-existing)
...and here are the proposed ones: http://tinyurl.com/devvy-proposed (http://tinyurl.com/devvy-proposed)
Spoiler alert, they're knocking down the wall between the lounge opposite the bar and the adjoining room - so no great surprise there. What is of interest is the curved bar being replaced with a straight one; and the location of this new bar pushed back in the direction of Church Road by about 8-10 feet, which will create a much larger bar lounge area than is currently the case. I'm also intrigued by the room described as the 'Orangery'.
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Thanks barndoor. Yes, there seems to be a problem with my link. However, I get the same problem with both of yours! Strange...
I'll try again: http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage (http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage)
As you say, it's going to be a lot bigger. I think the orangery is a posh word for a conservatory!
For me, the critical factor is the food. If they get a decent chef and offer an imaginative menu, they will get customers. If not, I fear they won't.
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Thanks barndoor. Yes, there seems to be a problem with my link. However, I get the same problem with both of yours! Strange...
Dave, I encountered a technical error for some reason when I clicked the link, so I found the 'existing' and 'proposed' pages after a hunt around the planning.stockport.gov.uk site.
Looks like there are problems with both those links for others (other than the person who did the search at the time I think).
Does this work any better: http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OJPRWBPJKU800 (http://planning.stockport.gov.uk/PlanningData-live/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OJPRWBPJKU800)
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Works for me!
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Me too - thanks Mark!
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As we all know, the Devonshire Arms in Mellor has been closed for refurbishment since January this year. Passers-by will have noticed that the work now appears to be nearing completion, and the news is that it will re-open this Friday, 9 June.
I've had a quick look inside, and it is completely unrecognisable, and much bigger. Robbie's seem to have invested heavily in this project - let's hope it pays off for them, and for all of us. It's a landmark pub, and we need it to thrive.
Much will depend on the quality of the menu. It needs to be something more imaginative than steaks, pies, fish 'n' chips, and a roast on Sundays.
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Much will depend on the quality of the menu. It needs to be something more imaginative than steaks, pies, fish 'n' chips, and a roast on Sundays.
Yes, a lot will depend on the quality of the menu. I hope it includes steaks, pies and fish & chips!
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Yes, a lot will depend on the quality of the menu. I hope it includes steaks, pies and fish & chips!
You can do amazing pub food and still do steaks, pies and fish and chips! You just do really good ones, rather than stuff that's come in frozen.
Looking forward now to a visit to Mellor to check it out!
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You can do amazing pub food and still do steaks, pies and fish and chips! You just do really good ones, rather than stuff that's come in frozen.
Yes indeed you can. Often, the difference between a poor pub and a really good one is not the difference in the menu, but the difference in the quality of the food. I've had some excellent pies and steaks and fish & chips etc in pubs and unfortunately, some very poor examples too. For me, a really good pub will have really good pies and steaks and fish & chips and gammon and chips and sausage and all day breakfast etc.
Looking forward now to a visit to Mellor to check it out!
Ditto
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One of my favourite pubs ever, was one I lived near between 2000 and 2003. It was a cracking pub anyway, but the food was excellent. The menu changed daily and had some great stuff on it. It was the first place I ever ate pigeon, and the risottos were to die for. But every day, without fail, they had rump and sirloin steak on the menu, coupled with proper chips cut and fried on the premises.
The landlady's brother was a butcher, so that's where they got the meat from. And it was absolutely suburb. Most expensive pub steaks in the area but they were worth every penny. Another pub down the road refurbished and decided they would like a bit of the food business. So they priced their steaks at the same price. Just one problem. The ingredients did not match the price point. The steaks were awful quality and the chips came out of a bag. Not surprisingly, they didn't boost their food trade much.
Incidentally the pub company who were running the Devonshire before refurbishment were an interim management company called Ignition Pub Management. I looked them up after visiting the Devvy and seeing a strange name on my credit card company afterwards.
Turns out they run pubs on a temporary basis. But if they find a pub they like and believe has potential, they have another division called Inblenook that runs pubs on a long term basis. They go for it big-style, and food appears to be a key part of their offering.
I just looked at the menus for a couple of their pubs. Both were different, but both had fish and chips and pies on them :)
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You can do amazing pub food and still do steaks, pies and fish and chips!
Indeed - and at least one local pub (the Hare and Hounds at Mill Brow) is a good example of that. A really imaginative menu - but it still has steaks and fish 'n' chips on it.
I've lived around here long enough to remember when the late Brian Harrison cooked at the Devvy, back in the 80s and early 90s, and a bit later, when Robert Cloughley cooked at the Oddfellows. As I recall, they both had interesting menus, specialising in fish recipes (not just fish 'n' chips), and people came from miles around to eat at both pubs. Robbie's appear to have invested serious money in the Devvy. It's now quite a big pub, and they will need to fill it if it is to be profitable.
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Oh Brian's pea and ham soup, and the mussels!!! Makes my mouth water just remembering them.
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You can do amazing pub food and still do steaks, pies and fish and chips! You just do really good ones, rather than stuff that's come in frozen.
Looking forward now to a visit to Mellor to check it out!
I haven't tried the steaks or pie, but the fish & chips is excellent. The interior of the pub is indeed unrecognisable from what was there before. I actually liked it as it was, but as it is now is also very nice. I am slightly surprised how many staff there seem to be. They will need an awful lot of customers to support that many, but from what I've seen so far, they probably will be full most of the time.
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Rather bizarrely, the Robinsons website https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/devonshirearms (https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/devonshirearms) still shows the pub as being closed (or it did at the time I posted this.) It is very definitely open.
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The website is there now, but it doesn't have a menu. I tried the gammon, egg, pineapple and chips today and it's very good. My wife tried the bangers and mash and tells me that's nice too.
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It's early days for the Devonshire Arms, and it's only two weeks since it re-opened. The pub seems to have been quite busy, particularly at weekends (the good weather has helped, of course). But things are not all going smoothly.
I was involved in organising an event in Mellor last weekend. A few of the people involved said they might want to have a meal at the Devvy during their break, around 5.30 - 6.30 pm. I had popped in the previous day to check that this would be OK, and that they would be serving food at that time. 'No problem. said the barman. I asked if it was necessary to book, and he had a look at the bookings list and said no, although he added that booking is always a good idea.
On the day, about eight of our people people went to eat there, in ones and twos. It was quite busy but not full. A couple of them were able to have a meal, three or four others were told they could only have chips, and at least one was refused any food at all. I was very embarrassed, of course, because I had passed on the information that they would be able to eat and didn't need to book.
Then the other day some friends of ours who live in Longhurst Lane received a flier through the door welcoming them to the refurbished Devonshire Arms, and advertising food service until 9 pm every evening. Good idea, they thought, and they walked up to the pub last Tuesday, arriving about 8.20. They ordered drinks at the bar and asked for the menu. 'Sorry, we've stopped serving food now' was the reply. Needless to say they were very cross, and they won't be going to the Devvy again any time soon.
It's early days, and I'm sure these 'teething troubles' can be ironed out. Part of the problem could be the young and (probably) inexperienced staff, who need more supportive and pro-active management.
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Strolled up there last night & thought I would share experiences.
Inside is unrecognisable, it's really opened out & quite airy. It was pretty full, in part I think there has been some sort of party there (Wedding) since the afternoon, the down side of this (which didn't affect me) was that they were't serving food unless you had reserved in advance. Possibly because of the event but the demographics had completely changed, I would estimate the vast majority there as being early 30s. There were still some teething problems but this was with the tills rather than anything else. Usual Robbies range of beers but where the Oak normally has Cumbrian Way or a seasonal beer, they had Trooper which was a plus point for me.
So looks as though a promising beginning but I'd be interested to see how it is doing on a wet Saturday evening in November
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Strolled up there last night & thought I would share experiences.
Inside is unrecognisable, it's really opened out & quite airy. It was pretty full, in part I think there has been some sort of party there (Wedding) since the afternoon, the down side of this (which didn't affect me) was that they were't serving food unless you had reserved in advance. Possibly because of the event but the demographics had completely changed, I would estimate the vast majority there as being early 30s. There were still some teething problems but this was with the tills rather than anything else. Usual Robbies range of beers but where the Oak normally has Cumbrian Way or a seasonal beer, they had Trooper which was a plus point for me.
So looks as though a promising beginning but I'd be interested to see how it is doing on a wet Saturday evening in November
Glad you were lucky quite a few i know wont go again .
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Glad you were lucky quite a few i know wont go again .
Why? Care to elaborate??
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Why? Care to elaborate??
YESFood poor service Poor no chef .
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I understand that there is now new management at the Devvy, replacing the people who have been running it since it reopened in June. Also a new chef (another one!). So let's hope they can move on from the problems of the last three months.
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I understand that there is now new management at the Devvy, replacing the people who have been running it since it reopened in June. Also a new chef (another one!). So let's hope they can move on from the problems of the last three months.
I'm sorry to report they haven't, at least as yet. There has been at least one random "food unavailable" lunchtime since the changeover and when I went in for a meal though some things were ok, the quality of others was pretty dire and way below the standard of their rivals both up & down Longhurst Lane. Other than the fact I'm local to it there was little to induce me to go in again either as an eater or a drinker unless I start hearing an awful lot of positive feedback. Such a pity but having been in several times now I'm not seeing any reason to part with my hard earned cash any longer.
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I've been told the management team changed yet again a few weeks ago and that there has been a positive improvement since. I can't vouch for any of this personally and won't be dashing up there quickly but thought I would pass this on.
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Had lunch there today and it was very nice. Be prepared for largish portions - I thought I was having a 'light bite' but it was large and had chips too.
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I went up a couple of weeks ago for their Friday "Catch of the day" special. The food and service was outstanding.
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We called in for lunch today, it was excellent.
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A couple of friends called in for Sunday lunch today. They're in the habit of meeting up once every three weeks or so and trying a different pub restaurant in the locality, and in the last few months they've been to: Hare & Hounds (all three); The Oddfellows; Ring o'Bells; The Midland; Norfolk Arms; Spring Gardens; and now The Devy. Their feedback was effusive: 'excellent quality', 'service was second to none', 'good portion sizes', 'the best we've had'.
So reading between the lines I think they were impressed.
Mrs barndoor and I were so buoyed along by their enthusiasm that we're going to pay a visit ourselves and see what the fuss is all about. I'll report back.