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Regulars at the Rabbit Hole think it’s the best pub in town
There’s a reason the regulars at the Rabbit Hole think it’s the best pub in Torquay. It’s not just the warm greeting they get from affable, hard-working landlords Zoe and Sam as they walk through the door.
It’s not the busy weekend evenings of live entertainment and music, which have made the pub one of the most popular bars in the town. It’s not even the amazing (if slightly bonkers) interior crafted by Zoe or the slightly cheaper price for a pint which is a benefit of a freehold house.
What makes the Rabbit Hole so special is a combination of all of these factors and a pride that comes from breathing new life into a near-derelict building that just two years ago looked doomed.
For many years the pub on Union Street was called the Jolly Judge. Before that it was the Wig & Pen, deeper still into the past it was the Exeter Inn and the Royal Oak.
The Jolly Judge closed in 2019 ago under a cloud. Its licence was taken away after a series of violent incidents and persistent concerns about crime and disorder.
The final chapter in its history appeared to have been written. A pub long in decline, struggling to attract a customer base and the pandemic about to hit. When a pub closes in 2020s Britain the chances are it is gone for good.
Then there is the small matter of Castle Circus, Torquay’s very own street-homeless Wonderland for spaced-out Mad Hatters, roaming addicts and occasional stabbings. There’s no glossing over the fact that Castle Circus has become a stain on Torquay reputation.
At the Rabbit Hole in nearby Union Street is where Zoe and Sam decided to make a stand for people who believe, like them, that Torquay can do better. Now, just over a year after opening the pub is reborn. It hasn’t been easy, it hasn’t been cheap and there is work still ahead but the Rabbit Hole has brought pride back to this small corner of Torquay.
When the couple moved in the task was huge. They didn’t know if the authorities would even grant them a licence. But their plans impressed police who quickly gave them the nod.
“I cried when they told me we could go ahead,” says Zoe. Then the hard work really started. “The reputation of the Jolly Judge wasn’t good,” she says. “It was fighting, drugs and underage drinking. we’ve been to hell and back building up the Rabbit Hole.”
Sam is a roofer by trade, which is just as well because you could meet and greet the pigeons upstairs through the hole in the roof. When it rained a bucket near the bar would fill up in 20 minutes.
“It was derelict,” he says. “It cost £5,000 just to get rid of the rubbish. Over the period when we first took over it’s got to have cost us about £150,000.”
For the first couple of months after opening they had to weed out the good customers from the bad.
“We wanted a nice place for families, for everyone,” says Zoe. “A place where everybody can enjoy themselves. I want it to feel like our front room, a place where people feel comfortable. People work hard and they like to have a drink, talk and relax, we understand that and feel the same.”
When you walk through the door at the Rabbit Hole you enter a cosy space or twinkling lights and gilt picture frames, mirrors and hanging flowers, warming colours and angel wings. Zoe has spent years collecting items that take her fancy and reflect her imagination.
“We all helped out to build it up and bring the pub back,” says one local at the bar. “It’s like a family here and that’s what we call it.
“We all watch out for one another and Zoe and Sam are brilliant. Every time we come in there is something different to see and they have added new decorations. They know many of the customers by name and know what they’ll want to drink as they walk through the door.”
The street homeless no longer wander into the pub. Trouble isn’t tolerated. Sam and Zoe took a firm stance from the moment the doors opened. It might have upset a few people to begin with but they are determined to make customers feel safe within their walls.
They can’t control what goes on in the street outside. Wednesday and Friday is free food day at the nearby church. On the menu is chaos, shouting, ambulances and sporadic outbreaks of public vomiting.
Of course, the church is fulfilling it’s role to care for the neediest in society. But that only makes it harder for a small business trying to attract people to the area. What has shocked Zoe and Sam is the lack of policing in the area and tolerance of bad behaviour.
“We were asked ‘Why don’t you move away?” says Sam. “But why should we move away? Our customers are not allowed to take a single glass out onto the pavement but people walk up and down here all the time drinking from cans.”
Walking through the door of the pub is like entering a safe haven. It’s not about the landlords getting rich, this is a long-term project. Times have never been harder in hospitality and the pub trade doesn’t get much help from government.
A music licence alone costs £1,800. They pulled the plug on Sky and TNT because the cost – £1,200 a month – was not economically viable.
At the moment it’s the busy weekend trade that keeps the business ticking over. The pub is wet-led but plans are in the pipeline to start serving food in the near future.
“For us it’s like we have a really cool front room,” says Zoe. “It has a bar with all our friends. It’s a job, a way of life and something we love.”
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