DARK DAYS FOR Bathonians last month, with the announcement of the impending sale of Walcot Street’s Bell Inn. For those not in the know, the Bell has long been one of the city’s most distinctive waterholes, with a reputation for real ale, almost nightly live music and independent spirit. The foil-hatted amongst you can almost be forgiven for thinking that some sinister Illuminani-esque conspiracy has been targeting the city over the last decade or so, with closures of real pubs like the Hat and Feather, the Porter Butt and the Longacre (even Moles’ future is looking shaky), the expansion of boarded-up wasteland along the London Road, and increased gentrification (yes, this is Bath we’re talking about). Walcot Street, the so-called ‘Artisan Quarter’, whatever that means, has been hit hardest, with the loss of Doolallys cafe and the sabotage of Walcot Nation Day festival, an annual fest of true weirdness.
Maybe the Bell’s motley crue of dedicated boozers and misfits can save the pub, though, and buy it up themselves; providing they can cough up the £925,000. But failing that, this might well be the pub’s final death knell. Well, we’ve always thought it high time the city had another gastro-pub.
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Regulars-fear-future-Bell-pub-goes-sale/story-17392550-detail/story.html
