A family-run Eden village inn has closed for the foreseeable future after a car crashed into the building, causing extensive damage.
Stephen Wilcock, owner of Shepherds Inn at Langwathby, has vowed to rebuild and return “better and stronger” after a crash at around 4am on Wednesday. A Ford driver and passenger sustained minor injuries.
Extensive damage was caused to the dining room area of the premises. A structural engineer was due to assess the scene yesterday.
Stephen has run the pub for nine years with wife Louise, son Graham and daughter Felicity. There are a total of 10 full-time staff and also part-time employees.
“It is hard enough running a pub,” he said, recalling previous challenges presented by Covid and, more recently, a Langwathby bridge closure. “This pub has stood here for 500 years, and nothing like this has ever happened. It’s a shame, because we’ve just finished our January refurbishments, and a lot of our hard work has been destroyed in the blink of an eye. We spent weeks building our new feature wall, made out of rare wine box ends, and the car came within inches of destroying that.
“Thankfully, the decorative part of the wall seems to be intact. But the impact of the crash has damaged the supporting wall behind it so we’re concerned that this may have to be ripped down, wasting weeks of work by our own staff.
“We’re a family run business, just coming out of a cold winter, at a time where the flowers are beginning to bloom and people are once more starting to come out to pubs and restaurants. Something like this happens, and we’re now closed for the foreseeable future, unsure of when we may be allowed to open again.”
The pub, he said, is a “fixture of our community”. A number of forthcoming charity events have been cancelled or are in doubt.
“We’re very thankful, however, that this terrible accident occurred so early in the morning, when the village is at its quietest. We dread to think how much worse it could have been if it had happened throughout the day when the village is at its busiest, or if there had been someone sitting at the table on the other side of the wall in which the car impacted. Such an accident could have been fatal to one of our guests or even staff. We are thankful that the driver of the car only sustained minor injuries,” he said,
Stephen praised the “fantastic” staff and hopes the pub will be open again as soon as possible, adding: “At a time where, on average, two pubs close every single month, we’re still here and we intend to be here for many years to come. We will overcome this, we will rebuild, we will be better and stronger because of it.
“We’re immensely touched by the outpouring of support our community has given us.”
- Cumbria police said a 17-year-old female was arrested on suspicion of motoring offences, including aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving, and released pending further inquiries.
