Long-awaited reopening for flooded city centre pub

When the River Lune burst its banks and the rain hammered down in December 2015, one of Lancaster's most popular pubs ended up under three feet of water.
John Glaister, bar manager, and landlord Andrew Gregson at The BobbinJohn Glaister, bar manager, and landlord Andrew Gregson at The Bobbin
John Glaister, bar manager, and landlord Andrew Gregson at The Bobbin

John Glaister, bar manager at The Bobbin in Cable Street, recalls going to inspect the pub’s cellar on the night of December 5, and seeing kegs of beer floating around as the water made its way up the steps and then into the pub itself.

The Mitchells of Lancaster owned venue has been shut since then but now almost six months later, and following a lengthy and at times frustrating refurbishment, the pub is getting ready to re-open on May 27.

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Landlord Andrew Gregson, who also runs The Yorkshire House in Parliament Street, which was also flooded and remains closed, was on holiday at the time of the floods.

He said: “It’s a relief to be getting back to normal as this has been a massive headache.

“The Yorkie was in a similar situation, and we hoped to be re-opening at the same time, but it may now be the week after as there are still some issues we need to resolve.

“Both pubs looked like a bombsite.

I’ll be happy when the doors open and we can get back to business.”

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Andrew previously ran Mung Mee restaurant next door to the Bobbin, and took over the tenancy with his dad David, seven years ago.

He became landlord of the Yorkshire House almost three years ago.

Alison Baxter is the pub’s bar manager.

Andrew added: “There haven’t been too many changes in terms of what the pubs offer. If it’s not broke, why fix it?”

John said: “There’s a few small changes at the Bobbin.

“The stage we used to host the bands on has not gone back in and we’ve got a new stage at the opposite side.

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“It’s much more open plan. We’d been getting bigger and better on the music side of things, and everyone loves playing here.

“We’ve been inundated with interest since we posted on social media last week, and we’re booking 
lots of great bands for the next few weeks.”

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