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The Woodman pub in Southampton shuts down

6:11pm Wednesday 13th July 2011 in News Photograph of the Author By Luke Tugby, Reporter

The Woodman The Woodman

A WELL-KNOWN Southampton pub has closed without warning.

Locals and residents were shocked by the sudden closure of The Woodman, in Lordswood.

The pub has been run by landlord and landlady Lynne and Mike Ryan, who have called time on the business after 14 years.

The pub hit the headlines in October when the couple narrowly escaped injury after a 40ft oak tree crashed through the roof of the building.

Lynne said the pub’s trade hit a “downward slope”

after the incident, giving the couple no choice but to call time on the business.

“Basically, the area isn’t supporting the pub enough any more,” she said.

“We have been trying to find new owners to take over the lease since the tree went through the roof, but have had no success.

“We have wanted to get out for a while now. We made lots of good friends here over the years, so it will be sad to leave that behind, but at the end of the day it’s just not a viable business any more.”

Meanwhile Lordswood residents have expressed their sadness at losing one of the area’s biggest pubs.

One regular customer, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m 40 now and I’ve been coming here since I was 18, so it’s a real shock.

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“It’s where you always come to meet your mates after work. I don’t know what I’ll do now.”

Another added: “It’s a real shame for the whole community, but when you’ve got a shop next door selling crates of beer for £8, what chance have you got?

“I’ve heard rumours it’s going to be taken over by an Indian restaurant, so it’s sad that we’re going to lose another one of our pubs.”

Lynne and Mike are still living above the pub while they wait for owners Enterprise Inns to officially shut the premises.

It is not yet known whether the firm will attempt to find a new landlord themselves or sell the property on.

Enterprise was unavailable for comment.

Comments(26)

Cookiecutter says...
6:33pm Wed 13 Jul 11

You watch if it is taken over by this Indian curry house, then the heritage of the thatch roof and old timbers will soon be a guy faulkes bonfire.

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Brite Spark says...
6:41pm Wed 13 Jul 11

It was a violent place anyway so no loss there then, not the landlords fault, just that the local clientele aren't generally the sort of people one would want to share their beer with.

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SOULJACKER says...
8:17pm Wed 13 Jul 11

So get the Fire brigade on standby & eventually build a block of flats I guess;)

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Minger1 says...
9:08pm Wed 13 Jul 11

the oub was alsways empty anyway i think thats why Mike and Lin closed the doors, as it was costing to much to stay open. in this area people will not go to eat there, they will want to go into town. i certainly won't be going in there, bring back the good english restorantes, i went into town a couple of months ago and couldn't find 1 english restorante,
even Nicks in east street has closed it's door's. if anyone knows of a good english resterante let me know please.

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loosehead says...
9:26pm Wed 13 Jul 11

Brite Spark wrote:
It was a violent place anyway so no loss there then, not the landlords fault, just that the local clientele aren't generally the sort of people one would want to share their beer with.
I'd like to know where you got that from? I use to go in on a Saturday night after Rugby I was a stranger in there but never had any trouble.tried their Sunday lunch it wasn't very good so went to the Malvern on Sundays

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Condor Man says...
9:29pm Wed 13 Jul 11

The cost of beer at One Stop has nothing to do with the closure of pubs. If the Woodman was a nice place to eat and drink in it would have stood a better chance. I suspect the large plot is worth more to the freeholder than the business.

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Brite Spark says...
10:12pm Wed 13 Jul 11

Previous story on here about when one of the landlords took over some locals duffed him up for not serving the lager they demanded, other stories too and I went in there once, only once ... ... ...

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Reality-man says...
10:18pm Wed 13 Jul 11

Minger1 wrote:
the oub was alsways empty anyway i think thats why Mike and Lin closed the doors, as it was costing to much to stay open. in this area people will not go to eat there, they will want to go into town. i certainly won't be going in there, bring back the good english restorantes, i went into town a couple of months ago and couldn't find 1 english restorante,
even Nicks in east street has closed it's door's. if anyone knows of a good english resterante let me know please.
'Good English Restaurants'? Nicks?? Wasn't that a greek restaurant?

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SallyG300803 says...
10:23pm Wed 13 Jul 11

Minger1 wrote:
the oub was alsways empty anyway i think thats why Mike and Lin closed the doors, as it was costing to much to stay open. in this area people will not go to eat there, they will want to go into town. i certainly won't be going in there, bring back the good english restorantes, i went into town a couple of months ago and couldn't find 1 english restorante, even Nicks in east street has closed it's door's. if anyone knows of a good english resterante let me know please.
you're going on about good english restaurants yet you cant even spell the word??

It wasnt always empty in there and you cant blame the price of beer in the One Stop next door either, all pubs/clubs are suffering at the moment, theres plenty that are trying anything and everything to stay open. Soon there wont be no pubs/clubs as no-one seems to be getting the trade, whether it be that the newest generation has different ideas of a social life than the older generations, or the low priced beer from shops, or the fact that people just prefer to stay in more, or even the smoking ban, this isnt the first pub to close and no doubt will be the last. Shirley, Old Thatched, Hospital club just to name a few from the list that have closed, who's next??

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aldermoor mush says...
2:51am Thu 14 Jul 11

I live local to this pub,it isn't a violent place the locals were quite freindly.
The problem is the landlord and the cleanliness of the place,dog hair every where inch deep urine in the toilet,he would buy cans of fosters from one stop then poor them into glasses.
He was a rude arrogant man,a real shame really because it could be a decent family pub

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loosehead says...
9:34am Thu 14 Jul 11

I remember when Reg Dawkins had it it was not a bad pub to visit & I could take you into pubs in town where the prima donnas strut their stuff & show you a hell of a lot more violence than you would have ever seen in this pub.my wife my sister & her daughter & myself had a Sunday lunch in there the roast potatoes tasted like they came out of a bag straight out of the freezer & were freezing cold we left most of the meal & didn't go back there for a meal again but the locals were okay as long as you didn't support Pompey & I quite often drink in there Oh well! there's always the pub in the park ( Sports Centre)

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The Rising Phoenix says...
10:39am Thu 14 Jul 11

Quite surprised to see postings on here saying it was a safe pub, One of my friends was drinking with another group when one was smacked with a chair leg! Apparently the regulars didnt like them! That and the lines of coke the offenders had been ploughing through during the course of the evening...

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Bronson69 says...
11:25am Thu 14 Jul 11

complete dump, expensive beer , grubby and full of pikeys

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lewis99 says...
11:50am Thu 14 Jul 11

got to agree with many comments on here regarding the current landlord/lady ... filthy place, dog hairs, dirty glasses, smelly toilets, terrible food ... they alone are responsible for the decline of the Woodman ... don't want to harp on about the 'good old days' but in this case its true, it was a good pub in a terrific catchment area, anyone with an ounce of the pub business could turn this into a money spinner ... look at the Saints pub in Millbrook, that has been turned around and is making thousands ... it needs a good refurb to brighten the place up, you need to get rid of the of the chavs that now use it and tell them one strike and you're out, turn it into a more family friendly place, a place that you'll want to go to on a saturday night, within walking distance of home instead of getting a taxi to and from town, keep beer prices at a reasonable rate, surely a pub full of people spending £2.50 on a pint is better than an empty pub asking for £3.80 a pint ... i'd like to be able to go in there with say 3 friends and buy 4 drinks for under a tenner rather than get hardly any change out of £20 .. surely it makes sense .... I urge the owners of the Saints to take a look at this pub and extend your very successful business to Lordswood and the Woodman.

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listentome says...
12:12pm Thu 14 Jul 11

This is the closest pub to my home but I'd never set foot in it. Why do some people have such a problem admitting that the area in which they live is rough?? I live there and I can admit that!!

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shane d says...
2:27pm Thu 14 Jul 11

This pub has been going down hill for years, really since Mike and Lynn took over, as they never spent a penny on the place. the brewery never helped them out much. They should have got out years ago. Its a shame it could be a gold mine with the right people taking over. Needs money spent on it, and turned back into a clean dog free food and bar establishment.

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cbrsaint says...
2:31pm Thu 14 Jul 11

listentome wrote:
This is the closest pub to my home but I'd never set foot in it. Why do some people have such a problem admitting that the area in which they live is rough?? I live there and I can admit that!!
What earth are you on about?? Rough area? I think you may need to open your door and step outside occasionally!! I live in Aldermoor, which is across the road from The Woodman. The area is far from rough, yes you have groups of kids hanging about, but thats about it! You get that anywhere. The downfall of the pub is due to the fact that they lost interest. Simples!

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Rover65 says...
3:27pm Thu 14 Jul 11

I agree with some of the comments here,it is ashame its closeing down but as some people here have said the people running it let it get run down and yes it was a bit grotty and not very clean,I know from pubs i'v worked in or even been in that at the end of each nite the bar area is given a clean and mopped and atleast once a week all bottles and optics taken down and cleaned but in the woodman it looked liked they never been touched.With the right people in there it would make a nice family pub and lets face it it has a good catchment area.I do hope the latter happens if it does't then its a long walk to the pub in the park.

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Maybush Lad says...
4:42pm Thu 14 Jul 11

The Rising Phoenix wrote:
Quite surprised to see postings on here saying it was a safe pub, One of my friends was drinking with another group when one was smacked with a chair leg! Apparently the regulars didnt like them! That and the lines of coke the offenders had been ploughing through during the course of the evening...
Sounds similar to my last experience of the place (was a few years back I’ll admit). The locals took a disliking to my and my mates face and decided to give us grief.
Not the worse pub in Southampton by any means but I certainly won't miss it.

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Nearly an OAP says...
4:56pm Thu 14 Jul 11

When Reg dawkins kept the Woodman it was a safe place to go to. When he left it went downhill rapidly, so much so that on a Saturday night I have seen police vans positioned in surrounding roads waiting for trouble to kick off there. I do remember seeing a policeman surrounded by a crowd and having his head kicked in the car park of the Woodman one New Year's Eve. Most local people avoided the pub as it was dirty and to many an unsafe place to be. Drugs became associated with the pub as well. One landlord tried to bar troublemakers and was to a degree successful. Fair dues to the present landlords as they've tried hard to increase trade with their cheap meals for OAPs, etc., but their are far better pubs not too far away. What now? A curry house or another block of flats!

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Maybush Lad says...
6:50pm Thu 14 Jul 11

@Nearly an OAP, when did Reg Dawkins leave?

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shane d says...
8:13pm Thu 14 Jul 11

Reg left about 1988, long time ago

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listentome says...
12:33pm Fri 15 Jul 11

cbrsaint wrote:
listentome wrote: This is the closest pub to my home but I'd never set foot in it. Why do some people have such a problem admitting that the area in which they live is rough?? I live there and I can admit that!!
What earth are you on about?? Rough area? I think you may need to open your door and step outside occasionally!! I live in Aldermoor, which is across the road from The Woodman. The area is far from rough, yes you have groups of kids hanging about, but thats about it! You get that anywhere. The downfall of the pub is due to the fact that they lost interest. Simples!
What am I on about? Clue's in my post, Aldermoor is sometimes rough. I live there, I chose to live there but there's no escaping the fact that it and the surrounding areas are a bit rough, opposite this pub is a subway where I've had kids under the age of 10, at night, chucking things at me, swearing, and even worse pulling their trousers down and flashing to while making crude suggestions. Where were their parents?---Ah yes, in the classy Woodman probably ha ha!!

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Elgy says...
1:33pm Fri 15 Jul 11

Shame, the Leigh in Eastleigh is turning into an Indian restaurant as well. I wouldn't mind but they are both traditional old English pub buildings and in prominent locations. What does that say about our country?

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captain_chaos says...
12:27am Sat 16 Jul 11

Elgy wrote:
Shame, the Leigh in Eastleigh is turning into an Indian restaurant as well. I wouldn't mind but they are both traditional old English pub buildings and in prominent locations. What does that say about our country?
You won't have to worry about much soon. This country will be run by muslims anyway within the next 20 years. Halal, sharia law etc. It'll be November 5th all year long! If you get the chance..............
.. leave! I would.

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my - opinion says...
11:45pm Sat 16 Jul 11

The Woodman isnt becoming an Indian Resturant!!! With a bit of luck Enterprise will tart the place up and someone will buy it who wants to turn the business around and make it into a lovely family pub with no drugs. It will be a shame if it turns into a block of flats as it could be a gold mine for the right person. As for some of the comments on here, the Woodman used to have a very rough reputation and although that was 10 years ago mud sticks and unfortunately people didnt realise that fights where usually a thing of the past, you always get your odd one where ever you go!!! And as for listentome, children flashing you under the subway?? In all my time in the area i have never seen this!! You must of had an unlucky evening that evening!! CBRsaint is right, they just lost interest which is a shame, but these things happen. I wish mike and lynne all the best on their retirement.

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