Is it the end of an era?

Its been a funny week so far, not too busy, in fact very quiet at times, and then at others we have been rushed off our feet, the weather hasn't been particularly kind to us but toady has been nice and sunny and if we can believe the forecasters we are in for a mini heatwave this weekend for the next couple of weeks, I certainly hope so!

The trip boat is gaining in popularity, its been out on an evening fish and chip supper cruise yesterday and as I type the blog today it is out again on a charter with some RAF folks aboard having cream teas and scones, don't forget folks that it is also out doing public trips every Sunday until the end of the season.

As the title suggests, is it an end of an era? I was out with friends last night who tell me that the Wharf Inn at Shebdon on the Shropshire Union closed its doors for the last time on Sunday, the lovely pub has been on the verge of closing its doors for a while now and its been on the market for some time, the current owners want to retire and it would seem as though the trade has been declining for while, it isn't unusual when a pub owner wants to change the pub in to a residential property to allow the trade to die in order to prove that it is no longer viable as a pub and thus encouraging the council to grant a change of use, I doubt that this is the case with the wharf, but I do know that on the sales particulars it is offered as either a pub or a residential property and according to my good friends an offer has been accepted and the new owners will want to convert it to a house. The canal, the countryside and its associated pubs are an integral part of the community, and to a wider audience offer an appeal that brings people out in to the rural communities, in the area where I live which is not far from Norbury we have lost 10 pubs since 1997, The Wharf is just another one to bite the dust and become a distant memory, such a shame!

Regards
Simon