Readers have reacted to the news that a Wetherspoons that's been 'part of Bury's pub scene for years' has closed its doors for good without warning. Long-standing The Robert Peel venue, Market Place, ceased trading as of Sunday (March 27).
A reason for the sudden closure has not yet been given, but the chain made assurances that there were to be no redundancies. They said all staff were instead offered jobs at other Wetherspoon pubs.
The pub, which is named after the local mill owner and MP, first opened in 1997. It is situated directly behind the statue of Robert Peel in Bury’s Market Place plaza. Wetherspoons said it will continue to operate The Art Picture House pub in Haymarket Street, Bury, nearby.
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Readers of the Manchester Evening News were quick to react to the news online, with one person questioning where else they could get a streak, the trimmings and a pint for a tenner. The chain is famous for its cheaply-priced food and drink deals, with pints being offered for as little as 99p at more than 600 of its pubs.
The disappointed person said: "Where else can you get a steak with the trimmings and a pint for a tenner?". Another commented: "Hope Wetherspoons manages to stay open had some good times there and the food was nice."
Other upset comments followed, as one person wrote: "No way! Where are all the youth going to start their night off now then?" And another penned: "Sad been in there a few times". Followed by "Absolutely devastated!" and "I had some fun in there back in the day."
However others poked fun at the closure, commenting that the venue was in need of a revamp. One said: "Thank gawd for that, dreadful dirty place, you need a hazmat suit on the way in!" as another wrote: "The place needed closing. You had to wipe your feet on the way out!"
A concerned reader then wrote: "There won’t be any real pubs left in a few years, just glorified restaurants that happen to sell alcohol."
What are your fondest or funniest memories of The Robert Peel? Get in touch with us to let us know
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “The Robert Peel has now closed. Its final day of trading as a Wetherspoon pub was on Sunday (March 27). On occasion, Wetherspoon does close some of its pubs and this is the case here.
"We fully understand that customers and staff will be disappointed with the decision and we thank them for their loyalty over the years. There will be no staff redundancies as a result of the closure with all staff offered jobs at other Wetherspoon pubs. Wetherspoon will continue to operate The Art Picture House pub in Haymarket Street, Bury.”
Earlier this month, we looked at the best and worst Wetherspoons across Greater Manchester based on where they were ranked on Tripadvisor. There are 35 branches across our region - nine in Manchester, six in Trafford, two in Salford, three in Rochdale, two in Stockport, two in Tameside, two in Oldham, two in Bury, two in Bolton and five in Wigan.
