Calling time at the Crown and Sceptre

After almost 15 years Rodda Thomas is calling last orders at the Crown and Sceptre pub in Stroud.
Rodda took over as landlord in 2009 and has established the pub in Horns Road as a real community asset. The pub has been open every single day since Rodda took over, even through the Covid lockdowns. At the start of the pandemic he set up a ‘corner shop’ to supply essentials: “During the lockdown we were open as a shop selling bread, milk, eggs, vegetables, pasta. We ended up selling toothpaste and shampoo at the end of it.

“People were asking us to get stuff for them - fresh salads, bread every day, and of course, beer to take away. That went really well, and lockdown went really quickly for me - I was working every single day - we were going to the shops and buying loads of stuff. People didn't want to go to the supermarket, so they were coming here,” explained Rodda.

He told Stroud Times he has been contemplating selling up for the past couple of years, and now some health issues have forced his hand – he plans to stay until July, the anniversary of taking on the pub: “We’re going to have a big party and see if we can drink all the beer in the pub!”

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Encompassing the Stroud locality the team aim to provide engaging human interest stories, comprehensive sports coverage, and championing local businesses' success.

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