A pub in Derbyshire has suddenly closed, with a handwritten note placed on the door explaining that notoriously ‘quirky’ brewery owner Humphrey Smith was unhappy about photos of it being shared on social media.
The Abbey, in Darley Abbey, dates back to the 15th Century and is one of the last surviving buildings from an extensive monastery that once stood on the site.
A photo of a sign stuck outside the Abbey pub in Darley Abbey posted on social media read: “Closed due to someone posting pictures of the Abbey on social media. Sam Smith has taken the alcohol and closed these premises.”
Tadcaster-based brewery Samuel Smith’s operates about 200 pubs across the UK and is famous for the strict rules laid down by owner Humphrey Smith.
These include a no-swearing policy, no televisions or jukeboxes and a ban on the use of mobile phones or laptops in its public houses – Prolific North can confirm that publicans take these rules seriously having been censured in a York Sam Smith’s pub for taking out a mobile phone to attempt to show a couple on another table where an attraction was on Google Maps – in many ways the very definition of making new friends and socialising that the brewery’s notices explaining its policies call for.
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Martin Repton, a councillor at Derby City Council, posted on Facebook: “All the brewery have said so far is that the managers did not follow company policies, which the couple deny emphatically.
“We’re all really sad and sorry for the landlords, who have now lost their home and livelihood.”
The Abbey had been closed for five years before re-opening in September 2024.
Repton, who was part of the campaign to get it reopened, told the BBC the fresh closure had come as a shock to the local community.
“I went in for a quick pint on Tuesday and everything seemed to be OK, although I know that the landlords have come under a certain amount of pressure in recent months,” he said.
“I was rung and told the pub was to close immediately. People are absolutely appalled and shocked by the immediate closure. We were starting to build up the trade again. It’s a good pub with great atmosphere, in the village centre. It’s an important and integral part of the village and village life.”
Image: Wraggy’s Beer Review Channel/Twitter
