Preston landlady on the coronavirus lockdown: "It took two days to pour all that beer down the drain..."

As the landlady of The Old Vic, all Sue Carr remembers feeling on Friday March 20 when the government announced that all pubs were to shut at midnight is an overwhelming sense of disbelief.
The Old Vic's Landlady Sue Carr with the pub's new safety measures in place.The Old Vic's Landlady Sue Carr with the pub's new safety measures in place.
The Old Vic's Landlady Sue Carr with the pub's new safety measures in place.

“I was shocked,” she says. “The police warned us that it could get really busy as it was the last night people could go out and have a bit of a party, but by 10pm nobody was in. We had beer in the taps but it was a ghost town.

“I was a bit miffed because the day after there was a very big football match and our order had arrived on Thursday to cover that weekend,” adds Sue, 67. “Then suddenly we had to close and all that stock had to be destroyed.

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“Surely we could have been given a little more notice,” says Sue. “It took two days to pour all that beer down the drains.”

Safety screen up in the pub.Safety screen up in the pub.
Safety screen up in the pub.

A classic British pub dating back over 150 years to 1865, The Old Vic in Preston is a haven of real ales, exposed beams, and a warm atmosphere. Located opposite the railway station, the pub has a capacity of 300, but in lockdown the doors closed and the staff were furloughed.

“Being shut was strange,” says Sue, who has been the pub’s landlady for six years. “We got on with jobs you don’t normally have time to do but what I’ve found hardest is heading up to the flat come teatime and basically being locked in. It can get claustrophobic.

“Having time off and a holiday is nice because you can prepare for it and do things, but during lockdown there was nothing; you can’t even see friends and family,” adds Sue. “I was so pleased to hear we could reopen. It’s a completely new situation with sanitisers everywhere, collection points, and dedicated entrances and exits - all very alien - but once you get used to it, it’s fine

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“It’s about making the best of what you’ve got and every day you see someone else who you haven’t seen for a few months.”

The Old Vic's Assistant Manager Stuart RyanThe Old Vic's Assistant Manager Stuart Ryan
The Old Vic's Assistant Manager Stuart Ryan

Currently with two members of staff working during the week and three on weekends, The Old Vic has the capacity to serve 97 people whilst observing social distancing rules. Sue says that, at their busiest, they have had 70 to 80 people though the doors, but more typically they get around 40. Numbers in the three figures aren’t expected until a vaccine is widely available.

“It’s been hard work: the lunchtime trade from all the offices on Winckley Square has dried up, County Hall is closed until January, and the trains are quiet, too,” says Sue. Under normal circumstances, the pub is also an official away supporters’ pub for fans making their way to see their team take on Preston North End at Deepdale. So no crowds meant another revenue stream was cut off.

“Each time a team comes to Preston, we’re full,” Sue says.

Thankfully, no members of staff have been let go during the crisis, with Sue paying tribute to the pub’s owners, the Preston-based Inns & Leisure, for their support and leadership.

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“They made sure we were looked after, they assured us we’d all still have jobs, and they told us they were strong enough to still be standing after lockdown,” says Sue, who’s originally from Manchester but who has lived in Preston for 35 years. “From day one, that assurance has been invaluable.

“You have to enjoy the job to stay in it, and I’ve been in the trade since 1985,” adds Sue. “I’ve got really good staff and we’re ticking over; it’s going in the right direction.

“A big thing for us is the older generation who usually come in of an evening or at the weekend - they just don’t feel safe at the minute. But we’ve taken every available option to make things as safe as possible - shields around the bar, shields in seating areas so people can be in their own bubble, no shouting allowed, and the TV and the music’s low.

People who do come in have commented on just how good it all is and we’re just trying - carefully - to get things back to normal,” Sue says. “It’s good to be back.”