There are
few genuine celebrities in the licensing world. However, tonight Bury will
welcome one such rare beast as the new licensee of the Dusty Miller. The Dusty,
a Moorhouses pub that featured for many years in the Good Beer Guide, has been
closed since September and, until recently, there were fears for its future.
Now, after a
£200,000 refurbishment, it’s set to reopen under the management of the man who
once laid claim to being Britain’s most controversial publican. Nick Hogan made
national headlines for continuing to allow smoking in Barristers in Bolton
after the smoking ban came into force.
The story is
well known to many, but suffice it to say that, after failing to pay £10,000
accrued in fines and legal costs, he was jailed for six months. His supporters-to
whom he is somewhat of an Elizabethan martyr-quickly rallied round and paid the
monies: enabling him to leave gaol after serving only twelve days.
He then
turned up at the Swan with Two Necks in Chorley; where I stumbled across him
whilst conducting a crawl for this very blog way back in 2008. The Dusty lies
in an area badly served by good pubs and locals are hoping his experience will
turn thing around. With his strong views on the pub trade, I’m expecting
fireworks, if not any smoke.
Sadly, I’ve
not been asked to be the guest of honour at tonight’s opening ceremony. That
falls to the Cheeky-less Lembit Opik.
5 comments:
I suspect that Lembit Opik would turn up to the opening of an envelope. I imagine you are more discerning.
Didn't he run a keg only pub?
TM
I think you may be confusing him with Hamish Howitt, who had the Happy Scots bar in Blackpool. His pub was keg only and he was the first licensee to be fined for breaching the ban.
I think you may be right!
nick hogan is a publicity queen and he will ruin the pub once you get to know the real nick.he ruined our pub the swan at chorley, he left the place in state . he smashed the place to bits so that nobody else could turn the place into a pub.well thank you nick. do not ever come back to chorley you are not welcome.as for a rebel ha ha .hes a teenager trapped in a mans body. good luck bury....
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