A pub for the heart of Lockeridge…. Who’d A Thought It?

Lockeridge’s iconic ‘Who’d A Thought It’ pub is now closed.  It has been for the past three weeks.  But for how long – permanent or temporary?  Uncertainty clouds its future following the latest management phase but the local community is adamant that it can succeed – if the next management team go back to basics and provide what people want.

Set in a thriving and beautiful village with a substantial garden area, safe playground and large car park the Who’d A has all the ingredients to be a part of the lives of local residents or those just wanting to find a good country pub for lunch.  Traditionally it has been a popular stopping off place for visitors to the area with the beautiful West Woods just up the road – famed for its magnificent bluebell displays – and the Dene, Fyfield Downs very close and with numerous paths and byways criss-crossing the village and surrounding area.

What happened?  According to the local community prices were too high in comparison to what was delivered.  ”£15 for a small take-away portion of fish & chips?  You’ve got to be joking” was a comment from one Lockeridge resident.

“We used it regularly for some while after it reopened, but the fare didn’t match the price.  it was inconsistent, general service was poor so in the end we rarely went in there” was a quote from another former regular.

Wadworths, Devizes-based independent brewers who own the Who’d A are advertising for new tenants.  They told marlborough.news “The Who’d A Thought It has temporarily closed and we are in discussions with current independent operator to re-open the pub as soon as possible.  We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.  We are recruiting for a new business partner to take the pub over in the future and anyone interested should contact our recruitment team on 01380 732216”.

When Wadworths were asked if that meant that the new business partner would be working for the former independent operator or Wadworths, the answer was that they would not be working for the former operator, so they would answer directly to the owners – Wadworths.

The local community is very keen to ensure that the Who’d A remains open as a pub.  Parish Councillor Jill Turner reflected the views of many:  ”We are hopeful that the ‘Who da’ will be relaunched soon as a ‘traditional’ village pub in the centre of Lockeridge providing a meeting place for villagers and visitors”

One final comment from another regular who summarised the hopes of many:  ”We hope that the next manager of the Who’d A will go back to running a pub where everyone will feel welcome, prices reasonable and quality and consistency of food acceptable”… “And the Who’d A reclaims its place in the heart of the community”.