The Junction pub in Leeman Road shuts down

12:07pm Monday 25th February 2013 in Business news Photograph of the Author By Gavin Aitchison, gavin.aitchison@thepress.co.uk

The Junction The Junction

THE York pub that became the first in modern times to add its own brewery has closed suddenly.

The Junction, in Leeman Road, shut on Sunday night, following slow trade and the departure of the in-house brewer David Kerr, who has joined a brewery in Dorset. The pub’s future is now uncertain but the brewery will be moved to The Tap and Spile pub in Monkgate.

Departing manager Paul Grant, who has run The Junction with his wife Gill since Christmas 2010, said the pub had done well food-wise, including 96 Sunday lunches on its final day, but said the brewery, Urban Brewhouse, was key to the business model.

When the previous brewer left in autumn 2011, it took nine months to find a replacement and Mr Grant said the business could not afford to wait that long again.

Mr Grant said: “The pub has only just been keeping its head above water and without the brewery we lose an income stream and with no income from that we cannot continue.”

He said he was told the news last Wednesday and has been made redundant, but kept the pub open unpaid for several days, so he could pay suppliers.

Peter Pendlebury, who had the lease on the pub from Enterprise Inns and who also has several other pubs in York, including The Tap and Spile, said “I am done now with The Junction. It has been a nice little pub but unfortunately it is busy on Sundays but on no other day. It is my nicest pub by a mile but also my quietest pub by a mile.”

He said the brewery would soon move to The Tap and Spile and he hoped it would be successful there.

Mr Grant said The Junction had struggled due to its location, being seen as just too far from the city centre but failing to attract enough people from Leeman Road residents, who mostly used The Jubilee or The Leeman instead.

“We want to thank all our customers and suppliers from the past two years. We have been in this position before, but you always leave a little bit of yourself behnid when you leave a pub.

The brewery was added when the pub underwent a major refurbishment in 2010. It initially ran under the name The Junction Brewhouse but struggled until it was taken over by Mr Kerr and rebranded as Urban Brewhouse.

• Mr Grant is keen to contact a couple who had a wedding reception booking at the pub, but who appear to have left a wrong phone number. He asks them to contact the pub.

Comments(20)

NickPheas says...
12:32pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Shame. Went there as part of the Ale Trail last year, but it was in the middle of nowhere.

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Mickey T says...
12:47pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Used to go in when it was the Phoenix (Top) Club years ago.

Happy times.

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lindyloon says...
1:09pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Not good news, My parents used to go here regularly on a Wednesday for lunch. We used to have Sunday lunch there aswell before we left York.

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Yorkie Girl says...
2:38pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Such a shame, that was without doubt the nicest pub in the area with great food.
Such a loss - hopefully it'll remain as a pub and not get turned into flats like the Leeman is!
I wish Paul & Gill all the best for the future

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leannespaven says...
3:36pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Massive shame! Always loved this pub and i recently had my wedding reception there. A big thank you to Paul & Gill who made it so special, they put in so much effort and we had a wonderful day!

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brindleness says...
6:13pm Mon 25 Feb 13

David Kerr taught me the fine art of playing House of the Dead. Never to be forgotten

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ReginaldBiscuit says...
6:54pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Always a shame when a pub shuts or a brewer departs. I couldn't really get into the Urban Brewhouse stuff but best of luck to Dave. I wondered what was going on at the Tap & Spile and now I know. Some good ales in there already so brewing ale there I will look forward to (as well as a pint of Roosters Yankee).

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York&Co says...
9:38pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Peter Pendlebury and Enterprise inn strikes again!! This man is the reason many brilliant pubs in York are shutting down and he is the reason that decent landlord/ladies are been left jobless and homeless with not even a days notice!
Paul Grant was a good landlord and tried his best to make a go of it in the Junction, what a shame that he has been left high and dry by this conman, unfortunately he is one of many!
Shame the police can't crack down on these "tax avoiding" criminals!!

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Young Bright Nights York says...
9:41am Tue 26 Feb 13

Paul and Gill have been excellent management for such a lovely pub! They helped both myself and my business partner to give both our wifes fantastic birthday parties! Will be such a shame. On behalf of everyone here at young bright nights york we wish Paul and Gill all the best in the future! Good luck guys

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MeganC24 says...
9:43am Tue 26 Feb 13

I have to agree York&Co, I think that many pubs and restaurants outside the city centre are struggling. However, a man like Peter Pendlebury doesn't deserve the success and pride that should come from a community pub when he treats his staff in such an immoral and disgraceful way. It is a shame that he is still in business with Enterprise as I thought Enterprise had a code of conduct for their leaseholders. Such a shame for Paul and Gill who I'm sure put their heart and soul into making it a success. Lets hope they have not been given the backhander from Mr Pendlebury and have been treated with some respect! What goes around comes around, as they say...

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Ignatius Lumpopo says...
9:49am Tue 26 Feb 13

It might have helped if the vascillating over what happens in the Teardrop site wasn't still going on. I hope the premises are retained: one day (in several decades, probably) The Junction might find itself in the heart of a revitalised area.

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over 9000 says...
12:23pm Tue 26 Feb 13

It's sad to see a nice pub close, but there's no room for nostalgic sentimentality when there's a business to be run.

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Hectormacorkindale says...
5:01pm Tue 26 Feb 13

Sad to see pubs close but to blame mr pendelbury and enterprise is wrong, the pubs they had were dives they took them on refurbished them and put managers in.......if the managers are not good enough the pub fails but in the case at the junction it was down to location end of. USE IT OR LOSE IT !! Pubs are not just for Christmas !

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rodney'sdog says...
6:00pm Tue 26 Feb 13

Shame -another venue gone-never the same since it was The Phoenix.
Their free and easy nights used to be the best in York..

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captain nemo says...
10:46am Wed 27 Feb 13

Another drugs bar closed

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alan_music says...
11:17am Wed 27 Feb 13

captain nemo wrote:
Another drugs bar closed
are you a douchebag or what that was a lovely pub refurbished with all the old "Riff Raff" Associated with it when it was a rough as feck back street boozer long gone, I lived on Leeman Road for a year and a half, and prefered the Junction to the Leeman or the Jubilee because it was a knobhead free zone. I think you may fit in just fine in either the Leeman or the Jubilee I would pop in they would love to see you!

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yorkieale says...
2:19pm Wed 27 Feb 13

I went to look round The Junction a couple of years ago but decided not to try and buy it because of the location - I thought it would be too difficult to entice customers away from town. I used to work for Peter many moons ago and I have to say he always treated me with respect and looked after me very well. I hear he has offered Gill and Paul space to live in one of his other pubs whilst they find their feet - neither immoral or disgraceful (MeganC24). Business is often cutthroat (especially with the tight margins in our industry) and the pub closure is probably a necessity, but let's not have a dig at the owner's character, especialy when he has gone out of his way to look after his former employees.

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Hectormacorkindale says...
6:13pm Thu 28 Feb 13

captain nemo wrote:
Another drugs bar closed
Obviously you have not been in there for a while !! Nice pub with good landlord/lady,

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cheesygeek says...
10:45am Sat 23 Mar 13

is this real or what you wrote the exact same story about the jubilee the other day

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Stiltzkin says...
10:20am Wed 27 Mar 13

Sorry to hear of it's demise, I used to organise music events in the back room and had many a great evening in that pub.

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