Malthouse closed
I heard today that the Malthouse had closed at the weekend. Apparently they held a farewell party on Saturday night.
I have said before on this blog that I feel it is quite sad as the pub had enourmous potential if it had good management. It is a large building, in a good location with a big garden and would have suited a more upmarket chain, one of these restaurant pubs that seem to surround Dorking.
Please not more flats in a prime location - especially in the current economic climate.
posted by The Cockerel @ 12:51 AM
12 Comments:
A real shame to hear of The Malthouse's demise. This pub has so much potential. I popped in before it closed and it was a pathetic site. Hardly anybody was in there and it took an age to get served. The kitchen was closed as the 'chef' has more interest in playing his nintendo on the tv. The guinness was barely drinkable and they had run out of crisps and peanuts. Now we are faced with yet more flats which will probably take an age to sell in the current economic climate. What a shame, that nobody stepped in to open a really good gastro pub with an emphasis on the family. So where are all the young one's going to head now to drink their flat lager, their WKD's and their shots of tequila/vodka etc...? ~AP~
How about the park, The Lincoln Arms, The Surrey Yeoman, The Old House or Arty P's?? There is plenty of places where the underage crowd can go and get pissed in Dorking without using their doctored drivers licences.
DORKING Dan
Sad to hear another pub in the vicinity closing and being turned it more flats. I never was the biggest fan of the Malthouse as it unfortunately seemed to attract the underage crowd who were hellbent on causing as much trouble as possible. It did serve a purpose as it was a popular place to watch the football, play pool and hang around with your mates from the Ashcombe and Priory schools. Last night I popped in with a few of my friends to the Bulls Head. It no longer has the cheap drink specials geared solely for the uni crowd and has no more forthcoming events like foam parties and school disco nites. I was pleasantly surprised. The staff were very welcoming, the place was freshly painted, the tables were gleaming and had flowers on them and the gas fire was on. I spoke to the landlord who has big plans for the place and these plans will take place in early October and will probably close the pub for a fortnight. The Bulls Head reminded me how a pub should be, where the art of conversation was not lost because of loud and overpowering music and the tv did not dominate. The Bulls Head is under new management and there are big plans for this pub to attract the more mature crowd who saviour a drink or two rather than the binge drinking crowd who move on from pub to pub for a heavy drinking session. Jo
Hi,I have a few good photos abou todays fire. If you are interested to have on your blog let me know by email. balobgboti(a)gmail.com
Can you shed some light (excuse the pun) on todays fire?
the malthouse died the day johnny bateman left.that horrible denise took over that was that.anyway who started the fire in the scrap yard??
Yes, there was a fire in the scrapyard near Dorking West station yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. It was absolute chaos near the Dorking Business Park, Ashcombe Road, Station Road and West Street. The roads were gridlocked and the community support officers who were dispatched to the scene to alleviate the traffic problems only made things worse. Tempers were frayed, people were frustrated and in the end the community support officers shrugged their shoulders, gave up and made their way back to the police station to probably pick up their paycheck. I cannot remember the last time I saw a 'real' police officer in the Dorking area. Rumours are circulating that the scrapyard fire was a deliberate act of arson, although this is yet to be confirmed. Jo
SCRAPYARD FIRE DAMAGES VEHICLES
(Taken from the BBC Southern Counties website)17/9/08 21:58
At least 40 vehicles and heavy plant machinery has been damaged in a fire at a breakers' yard in Surrey.
Surrey Fire and Rescue said they were called to LJC Auto Spares, at Dorking West Station Yard, off Ranmore Road, in Dorking, at 1630 BST.
Fire crews using 24 breathing apparatus and four jets took nearly four hours to bring the blaze under control.
A spokeswoman said various cylinders were also located on the site, and were being cooled down.
Sounds a little suspicious to me?? There are rumours currently doing the rounds that some school kids were seen running from the scrapyard prior to the fire. Jo
Great -- The Bulls Head is going back in time to be run as a traditonal public house. Just what the town needs is another bland pub which focuses on the ales. It is little wonder why the young people no longer hang out in the town. If they do hang around in the town they are automatically seen by the public and police as troublemakers and as the asbo generation. The pubs also treat the young people with contempt asking all the time for id, keeping an eye on them once the enter the pub. In other words, we are not made welcome by any of the licencees in Dorking. That was where The Malthouse was different. We were made to feel welcome, we enjoyed ourselves, it had good music and great drink specials. Now it has all changed as the pubs are focusing on id'ing anyone under 21 and the pubs are tarring all the young people with the same brush. As for Jo's comment above think before you write a comment. Until it is proven keep away from the rumour mill and the causes of the fire at the breakers yard. x
There are two pictures of fire at the breakers yard on the surrey advertiser website. As for the poster above it would be great if he or she could post some of their pictures on the blog.
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To lose a pub of this size in Dorking is a disaster. If the pub was run properly, the pub had the potential to be a real goldmine. John Bateman turned this pub into a thriving pub which unfortunately went rapidly downhill after he left for the Pilgrim. Now, we are faced with more flats as the council have sold the pub down the river to more greedy developers.
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