XX CLOSED SG5 2TP, Bedford Arms, Hitchin

[albert69]

For the last few weeks, this Pub has been doing 2 - 3pm every Sunday afternoon. Only walkabout, no pole and no PDs at the moment.

Dancer schedule: http://teaseagency.net/a-venue.asp?venue=bedford

Perhaps with a bigger crowd, the landlord might expand?

[pleasure_seeker]

At the moment it seems like a bit of Sunday afternoon entertainment for the pub's regulars, rather than any serious attempt to enter the stripbiz.....but you never know.

[zante]

It's not the first pub in Hitchin to try it - the other being the TutnShive. It was so under attended on strip night there that the takings went down when they had strip on, compared to a non strip night... the pub then closed. Bedford Arms has always been a very quiet pub, except when the fair is in town across the road. Or when Chas and Dave were playing. Yes, Chas and Dave, they used to drink here and do the odd gig. To have such a short shift tells me they aren't really interested in 'our world'

[Victor23]

An experienced girl who danced there a few weeks ago didn't like it. Travelling by public transport on Sunday wasn't great and she had to allow plenty of extra time. She was the only dancer there and found the 20 or so men very disrespectful, to an extent that wouldn't be tolerated in the better-known pubs.

I don't know how the place will fare under the new licensing regime but it doesn't sound as if it would be any loss.

Vic

[zante]

Hertfordshire has an incredibly low licence fee - or is it that everywhere else is ripping people off?!

[pleasure_seeker]

This is no longer on the Tease website, so probably stopped having dancers.

[albert69]

Yes, another one bites the dust! Apparently they got bored and decided they didn't want the dancers any more!

[Victor23]

Or perhaps the girls got fed up with being mistreated - see my post above of June 5. It can't have been much fun travelling out to Hitchin on a Sunday for an hour or so to be the only dancer proving the entertainment for boors. A few weeks after I posted, I noticed one sensitive girl was due to be dancing there. I did wonder if she would be able to cope at the Bedford Arms.

Vic

[zante]

Reopened

[womble]

Bedford Arms closed for the last time 30th March 2014.
Another one bites the dust!!

[The Great Smell Of Brute]

Further to womble's post, the Bedford Arms is being converted into flats:

Troubled Hitchin pub to be converted into flats (The Advertiser, 06/03/14)


"In October last year – after complaints from some neighbours – the licencing and appeals sub-committee at NHDC amended the pub’s licence with a number of restrictions.

With neighbours complaining of blaring music and noisy patrons, NHDC limited the hours music could be played at and banned alcohol from the front and back of the pub at certain times."


Another pub bites the dust, thanks to NIMBYs and excessive overheads!

[Scallywag]

Another pub bites the dust, thanks to NIMBYs and excessive overheads!

Of course the NIMBYs and council don't help but it may be worth noting that the landlord was going to retire in June anyway according to the article and so brought it forward due to the licence problems.