The Dog And Partridge …

Oh, now that’s a shame.

It seems that, according to this week’s Brentwood Gazette, the landlords of the Dog and Partridge, in Kelvedon, have decided to break their lease, after a particularly nasty Friday night fight.

I can’t say I blame them; the couple in question had young children, and most of the bar-staff I’ve met over the years are pretty much agreed with my own view.

A pub — especially when something like that kicks off — isn’t the place to raise kids.

Hmmm …

But, at any rate, I can’t say I blame the couple concerned for leaving.

But here’s the email I sent the Gazette …

I’ve got to admit, I was saddened to read about the recent violence at the Dog & Partridge, in Kelvedon, in this weeks Gazette.

Violence that forced the new tenants to give up the pub.

I was saddened, but not surprised.

As a fifteen-year veteran behind various pub bars, I believe alcohol related violence is much more common than those outside the licensed trade may realise. Friday and Saturday night would usually be the worst time, wherever I was working, and more noticeably in areas like Brentwood High Street; but usually was a result of simple arguments getting out of hand, aggravated by the amount that many customers — usually, but not always limited to, young men in their twenties — had drunk.

It’s unfortunate that the Dog and Partridge has lost tenants who sounded like they were making an positive impact on a declining village pub. The part of it I really find saddening is simply that — with skilled staff or experienced management — this sort of violence is usually very avoidable.

However we deal with it, we have to take one thing into account. For anyone working in, or running a pub, alcohol related violence is a simple fact of life.

Going into the trade without that in mind is not an option.

Whether it gets published is a whole other matter, of course.

But having seen the sort of incident the Gazette’s talking about, I think expressing a relevant point of view can’t hurt, now can it?