Covid-19

Village fears becoming ‘ghost town’ after three out of four pubs shut

By Medicc Saves
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Owners of The Hidden Treasure micropub, Andrew and Marluce Clark. See SWNS story SWLSpubs. People fear their village will become a ?ghost town? as every traditional pub in the area has gone up for sale. The City of London, The Ocean Inn and The Ship Inn in Dymchurch, Kent, have been put on the market, sparking speculation over the future of the sites. It leaves just one micropub in the village, The Hidden Treasure, as well as the members-only Royal British Legion. The City of London closed its doors earlier this year as the freehold was listed on the market for ?295,000.

Owners of The Hidden Treasure micropub, Andrew and Marluce Clark, which could soon be the only pub left open in Dymchurch (Picture: KMG/SWNS)

What are the essentials in every village? A corner shop, a takeaway, and a good pub are probably high up on everybody’s list.

But one seaside village fears it could become a ‘ghost town’ as three of its four pubs have gone on the market and could close.

The Kent village of Dymchurch, home to around 3,500 people, could soon lose The Ship Inn, The Ocean Inn and The City of London, and be left with one micropub called The Hidden Treasure which only opens from Friday to Sunday.

There is also a Royal British Legion club, but it is for members only.

Derek and Susanne Coppin moved to the village six years ago from Maidstone, but are now concerned at the potential loss of amenities.

Mrs Coppin said: ‘I think it’s disgraceful. You get so many people come down here in the summer – where is everybody going to go?

‘I’m concerned the village could become a bit of a ghost town. We moved here originally because it had everything that we wanted.

‘Now the butchers has recently closed and you have all of these pubs up for sale.’

The Ocean Inn. See SWNS story SWLSpubs. People fear their village will become a ?ghost town? as every traditional pub in the area has gone up for sale. The City of London, The Ocean Inn and The Ship Inn in Dymchurch, Kent, have been put on the market, sparking speculation over the future of the sites. It leaves just one micropub in the village, The Hidden Treasure, as well as the members-only Royal British Legion. The City of London closed its doors earlier this year as the freehold was listed on the market for ?295,000.

The Ocean Inn is on the market (Picture: KMG/SWNS)

Martin and Diane Petken, who live in neighbouring St Mary’s Bay, often visit Dymchurch during the summer time.

Mrs Petken said: ‘I can’t believe that. I heard rumours and thought that can’t be right.

‘We use The Ship and The Ocean quite often so we would hate to see anything happen to them.

‘It is a worry I think. The village relies on these businesses to help keep the place alive.

‘I get it is a seasonal place, but it has always been like that. It shows people are struggling at the moment.’


The Ship Inn. See SWNS story SWLSpubs. People fear their village will become a ?ghost town? as every traditional pub in the area has gone up for sale. The City of London, The Ocean Inn and The Ship Inn in Dymchurch, Kent, have been put on the market, sparking speculation over the future of the sites. It leaves just one micropub in the village, The Hidden Treasure, as well as the members-only Royal British Legion. The City of London closed its doors earlier this year as the freehold was listed on the market for ?295,000.
The Ship Inn is set to remain open while the owners hunt for someone to take over the leasehold (Picture: KMG/SWNS)

Owners of The Hidden Treasure micropub, Andrew and Marluce Clark, say they struggled over the winter months.

‘Pubs closing is a trend at the moment, so it is definitely a concern for us,’ Marluce said.

‘As Dymchurch is such a seasonal place, to survive the winter months we have only been opening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

‘The rising utility bills mean that it’s not worth us opening during the week. Our bills have tripled in price this year.

‘The idea for us is to try and make our money in the summer and that buffers us for the winter.


The Cty of London pub. See SWNS story SWLSpubs. People fear their village will become a ?ghost town? as every traditional pub in the area has gone up for sale. The City of London, The Ocean Inn and The Ship Inn in Dymchurch, Kent, have been put on the market, sparking speculation over the future of the sites. It leaves just one micropub in the village, The Hidden Treasure, as well as the members-only Royal British Legion. The City of London closed its doors earlier this year as the freehold was listed on the market for ?295,000.
The City of London pub is currently under offer (Picture: KMG/SWNS)

‘My fear is that this year we might not get that buffer.’

Andrew moved to Dymchurch from Lewisham in London in 2013, and believes the cost of living crisis is hitting hospitality much harder than the pandemic.

He added: ‘We have to find the right balance between increasing our prices and keeping it affordable for people. It is a real challenge.

‘Covid was a tough time, but the increase in everyone’s bills currently means we are not getting as many customers.’

But the situation may not be as bleak as feared as owner of The Ship Inn Mark Lilly reassured punters the pub will stay open as he waits for the sale of the leasehold.

Mark added: ‘I think the current managers are just ready to leave and run their other pubs.

‘The Ship Inn will remain as a public house and we have no reason to close during the changeover.

‘I don’t want it to change from its current format.’

The City of London is under offer and there have not been any updates on the sale of The Ocean Inn.

What’s happening in Dymchurch isn’t unique as it’s estimated 33 pubs are closing every single month, due to the increasing cost of energy bills hitting the trade just as it began to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

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