The owners of the Royal Hotel in Dungworth have announced they are selling up and retiring, with a worry that this may become another lost pub. This pub, which also offers bed & breakfast accommodation, was built in 1813 and has been run by David Lambert and Dave & Joanne Jubb for the last 25 years. As well as real ale, the pub serves bar meals and has a reputation for their home made pies, it is also famous for being one of the North Sheffield pubs that take part in the traditional Christmas Carol events as well as hosting a folk club. It also offers spectacular views over the Loxley Valley.
The owners are very much overdue a well earned retirement but have been quite frank about the situation the pub may find itself in – the location is in a small rural village where people don’t really go the local pub any more and the regular business travellers that stayed in the accommodation have disappeared since Covid as well as there being increased competition from new build chain hotels in the City Centre. They point out that as the pub comes with a separate outbuilding in an attractive location the combined site will be worth a lot of money to someone wanting to convert it all to residential use. On the other hand a bunch of regulars are looking at setting up a community interest company to buy it as a going concern (a challenging about of money to raise though, the asking price is over £1m!) and of course it could still be bought by a private concern wanting to keep it going as a pub and hotel.
Fingers crossed someone buys it to run as a pub and B&B and injects the appropriate energy, enthusiasm and investment to reinvigorate it and make it a huge success, opening another positive chapter in the pub’s story, rather than ending over 200 years of history.
The last day of trading under the current management is 1 March 2024.
Wishing Dave and joe all the very best, loved staying with you over the years, miss you loads, fantastic hosts