20/09/2026
❤️ WHAT A NIGHT. WHAT A WAY TO SAY GOODBYE. ❤️
We honestly don’t know where to begin…
Last night was everything we could have wished for and so, so much more. 🥹❤️
The Castle was absolutely heaving! There were queues out of the door, the place was packed from top to bottom, and at times we genuinely didn’t know where everyone had come from! 😂❤️
To everyone who queued, waited for drinks, waited to get served, waited for a table or simply waited patiently while we tried our absolute best to keep up — THANK YOU.
We know it wasn’t always easy, and we know there were waits, but we honestly cannot thank you enough for your patience, kindness and understanding. Seeing that many people come through the doors to celebrate our final night was something we will never, ever forget.
And that brings us to our incredible staff… ❤️
Over the last 8 years, we have been so incredibly lucky to have had some amazing people work alongside us.
Some have been here for years, some for months, some for only a short time — but every single person who has ever pulled on a Castle shirt has played a part in our story.
From the people you see standing behind the bar pouring your pints, serving your drinks and having a laugh with you…
To the people working away quietly behind the scenes, washing up, cleaning, preparing, stocking, running around and doing all the jobs that most people never even see…
Every single one of you has meant the world to us.
We genuinely could not have done the last 8 years without you.
There is no way Simon and I could have run The Castle, survived the busy nights, the Christmases, the events, the parties, the crazy weekends and everything else that came with running a pub without the amazing people who stood beside us.
You have worked late nights.
You have come in when you were exhausted.
You have dealt with us when we were stressed! 😂
You have laughed with us, cried with us, celebrated with us and, most importantly, you have helped make The Castle what it became.
Some of you started as employees and somehow became family.
And that is something we will always treasure.
To every member of staff, past and present — THANK YOU. ❤️
We honestly don’t know where we would be without you all.
And to the wonderful team who worked last night… WOW.
What you dealt with was absolutely insane! 😂❤️
With queues out of the door, people everywhere and drink after drink after drink being poured, you worked your absolute socks off.
So thank you for your patience, your hard work, your smiles, your humour and for helping us give The Castle the send-off it deserved.
We are so incredibly proud of every single one of you. ❤️
⸻
The Castle has never just been a pub to us.
It has been our home.
Our workplace.
Our happy place.
Our stressful place! 😂
Our second family.
A place where we have laughed until our stomachs hurt, cried when things got tough, celebrated the good times and somehow carried on through the bad.
Over the last 8 years, this little 15th century pub has become such a huge part of our lives that it is almost impossible to put into words what walking away actually feels like.
We have watched people meet, fall in love, get married, have babies, celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases, christenings and countless other special occasions.
We’ve had live music, karaoke, carveries, parties, Christmas dinners, crazy nights, quiet nights, tears, laughter and probably more stories than we could ever tell! 😂
We’ve watched children grow up in front of us. We’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime.
And most importantly, we have made memories that we will carry with us forever.
There have been some incredibly difficult times too. Running a pub isn’t always the glamorous life people imagine it to be. There have been long days, sleepless nights, stressful days, difficult decisions and moments when we wondered how on earth we were going to keep going.
But every single time, there was someone walking through those doors who reminded us exactly why we did it.
A friendly face.
A kind word.
A “you alright?”
A laugh at the bar.
Someone telling us how much they loved the Castle.
And those little things meant more to us than you will ever know.
Simon and Louise didn’t just run The Castle. We lived it. ❤️
It became part of who we are.
And although we know that handing the keys over is the right thing for us and our family, that doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier.
Last night, looking around the room and seeing everyone there to celebrate with us, we realised just how incredibly lucky we have been.
Lucky to have met so many amazing people.
Lucky to have had the support of our customers.
Lucky to have had staff who became family.
Lucky to have had 8 incredible years of memories.
And lucky to have been able to call The Castle ours for those years.
To every single person who has walked through our doors over the last 8 years — whether you came in every day, every week, once a year or only once in your life — THANK YOU.
Thank you for choosing us.
Thank you for spending your money with us.
Thank you for coming back.
Thank you for recommending us.
Thank you for forgiving us when things didn’t go perfectly.
Thank you for the laughs.
Thank you for the memories.
Thank you for supporting us through the difficult times.
And thank you for making the good times so bloody good. ❤️
There are far too many people to name individually, but please know that if you have ever been part of The Castle story, you have been part of ours too.
We will never forget it.
And we certainly won’t forget last night.
Seeing the place absolutely packed, with queues literally out of the door, hearing the laughter, the music, the cheers and seeing so many people come out to give us the send-off we never knew we needed… it was honestly emotional beyond words.
The Castle may no longer be ours, but it will always have a massive piece of our hearts. ❤️
So from the bottom of our hearts…
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
For 8 amazing, exhausting, emotional, hilarious, unforgettable years.
We came into The Castle as landlords.
We leave with memories, friendships, staff who became family and a whole lot of people we now call family.
And that is something no one can ever take away from us. ❤️
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❤️ AND NOW… A NEW CHAPTER ❤️
Over the next few days, we’ll be quietly working behind the scenes with the new landlords, Simon & Janine, helping them get everything ready and set up for their opening.
They will officially be reopening The Castle on Friday 25th September, with their opening party.
We really hope you will all get behind them and give them the same incredible welcome that you gave us all those years ago. ❤️
Please make Simon & Janine feel at home, give them a chance, support them, and show them what makes The Castle and its customers so special.
We know you’ll make them feel very welcome. ❤️
The Castle has been loved by us for the last 8 years, and we hope that love, laughter and memories continue to fill those walls for many, many years to come.
This isn’t goodbye forever…
It’s just goodbye from behind the bar. ❤️
With all our love,
Simon & Louise
🥂🍻❤️
The Castle Inn — 8 years we will never, ever forget
