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Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about The Cavern
Dancing Ken
1935-2017
R.I.P.
On 27th April 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 256 recommendations about 196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about The Cavern
I would like to pay a tribute to The Cavern, a pub which holds personal memories for me and is held with affection from many people in Cheltenham.
The irony is, I can count the number of times that I visited The Cavern on one hand. When I did venture there on one occasion, it was to participate in a birthday celebration for one of the local country and western enthusiasts. There wasn't any trendy gimmicks, or any of the nonsense that a modern pub goer would associate with being a decent pub. The ingredient which made this pub special, were the people – the regulars.
The Cavern was one of the oldest pubs in Cheltenham, It was a coaching Inn when it originally opened as The Compasses in the 1820's. In more recent times it was a popular venue for live music, and was known as the place to go, to listen to Country and Western bands.
Unfortunately it became a victim of the smoking ban and the easy purchase of cheap supermarket alcohol. The Cavern finally shut in April 2010 and is earmarked to be converted into flats, like the former Flute n' Jig next door.
We are so used to pubs closing these days, that we barely raise an eyebrow anymore. I hope that one day, we will view this phenomenon as a national tragedy, rather like losing a dear friend.
This is truly a great loss to Cheltenham.
The photo was taken in April 1999. Interior photos, courtesy of Sylvia Iwanczuk
On 24th February 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 256 recommendations about 196 pubs]