Honey, I bought the pub!
‘GREAT PERSONALITIES’: Jamie Reading, centre, manager of The New Clarence, with members of staff
By Phil Ascough
It was a Victor Kiam moment. Sort of.
He famously liked Remington shavers so much he bought the company. I enjoyed my first pint of Mahou in The New Clarence so much I bought the pub. Or at least a small part of it.
About 490 other shareholders invested before I splashed out, and there will have been many more since. It might even be a sell-out by now, as it should be.
I’d already worked out that with a ten per cent discount for shareholders I’d only need to drink five pints of Mahou per week to recoup my £100 layout in one year, but that’s not what it’s about.
The share offer, which tempted some people to commit thousands of pounds, was all about saving a pub which was heading for conversion into residential use, and then running it as a going concern.
The New Clarence, in Charles Street, has already exceeded expectations. It’s one of the best pubs in the region, owned by a committee of nine people who couldn’t be more dedicated, run by a manager who has bags of energy, ideas and experience, and with hundreds of investors and their families and friends who like a drink.
“It’s been phenomenal, from the vision that we had to the people responding, wanting to be a part of it and buying shares. It’s quite humbling,” said Simon Berry, chair of the Hull Community Pub Society.
Jamie Reading, manager of The New Clarence, added: “There was an attraction with what they were trying to create here and me wanting another shot at something I didn’t get the chance to do when I was here before. It’s very much a case of unfinished business.”
SUPPORTER: Hull West and Haltemprice MP Emma Hardy with Simon Berry, chair of the Hull Community Pub Society, at an opening event. Picture credit: Christopher Mcnally
When Jamie ran the pub before, it was a clear candidate for best pub in the city and further afield. When Covid closed it, and with only a few months left on the lease, Jamie decided to focus on The Whalebone, the pub where he had worked since 2010 and a serial CAMRA awards winner at the top of its trade. He wasn’t to blame for the decline which led to him leaving in January 2022 and which gave rise to that “unfinished business” scenario.
Jamie went travelling, The Whalebone continued unravelling and closed in August 2022. Meanwhile The New Clarence reopened under a new landlord but closed again in 2023 and was bought by Kingston Apartments.
After the owner’s plans to convert it for residential use were rejected by Hull City Council, The Hull Community Pub Society Limited stepped up its ambitious campaign.
Simon has only good things to say about his dealings with the vendors. The New Clarence could have gone the way of The Whalebone and so many other much-loved watering holes. Jamie has only good things to say about his new employers.
THRIVING: The New Clarence
He said: “There are people on the committee who are superheroes. They have done things I couldn’t believe. It’s very rare to find a community pub in a city centre. To have the opportunity to be involved in that is amazing.”
The committee’s promise has never changed, and fans include Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy, who posted tributes on her social media after attending one of the opening sessions.
Simon said: “When we did a survey the view was that people wanted a place where they felt safe, a nice environment and traditional pub food. We’ve had messages of support from people who remember attending functions here and who still talk about the quality of the Sunday lunch!
“We want to build on all of that and create new memories with new customers.
‘IT’S ALL ABOUT QUALITY’: Jamie Reading, right, with Simon Berry
“The interest it has generated and the following we have built up on social media shows how much people have been looking forward to Hull’s first community pub – 90 per cent of the people who live in this area are shareholders.”
The drinks offer includes an ever changing array off real ales and real ciders, making The New Clarence the perfect companion to the Hop & Vine round the corner. The lagers are a huge improvement on the stuff Jamie was forced to sell when he was behind the bar in 2020.
The food is an enticing selection of chef Sam Ball’s takes on such pub classics as fish and chips, toad in the Hull and a brace of bourgignons as well as tempting smaller dishes including assorted patties and pies. However Simon is clear on the priority.
He said: “We’ll be offering theatre meal packages but it’s a real ale pub that serves food. It’s not a restaurant that serves beer, but we want quality with everything.”
Work is in progress on an upstairs function room which will be twice the size of the previous space, available for social and business events and accessible by a new lift, a key modification being overseen by Simon as a wheelchair user since a motorbike accident when he was 18.
Hollie, Maddy, Ross and Nicola complete the staff line-up and were recruited for personality rather than experience of pulling pints.
Jamie said: “A lot of people have shown interest in coming to work here and I have put together a team that can work together. They all bring great personality and they want to interact with the community, getting along with customers and with each other. Anyone can learn anything in the pub trade and I am happy to teach people, but a good personality is what’s most important.”
There’s also an army of volunteers.
SOUND INVESTMENT: The form to apply for shares in the Hull Community Pub Society
Tina Reading – Jamie’s mum – said: “I spent six months decorating the upstairs when Jamie was here before. It was starting to work really well when Covid hit but there will be a lot more people behind it now. There are a lot of followers and it’s very exciting.”
Sarah Cutler had never been in but became curious. She said: “One of the neighbours had a garden party and I met Simon there and started here two days later. It’s something I have always been interested in, volunteering and helping out.
“I’m helping with painting, cleaning, gardening, anything really just to muck in. I had never been in. I had a walk past it and thought something needed to be done and lo and behold!”
Simon is eternally grateful: “We have had a great set of volunteers coming in to help us. They heard about the project and read about it and without them we would not be where we are now.
“We’ve also used local suppliers, small family businesses, wherever we can because as a community pub we want to support the community. I used to come in once a week, every Thursday. I’ll probably be in a bit more now.”