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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Susie Beever

Inside abandoned 'time capsule' pub with half-filled glasses sitting on the dusty bar

Perched on the bar beneath the taps are various sized pint glasses waiting to be filled as barstools sit stacked in the corner.

Yet no punters are to heard filling this pub with chatter - the only noise comes from passing travellers on the outside road who would have, until recently, been its customers.

The Acton Arms has seemingly remained immune to the scourge of vandalism after closing its doors four years ago, becoming what locals have described as an "eyesore".

Eerie pictures taken inside the disused boozer show half-filled pint glasses still waiting to be served behind the bar, now gathering dust.

Pints were in the middle of being pulled when the pub was deserted (mediadrumimages/DeanOverthrow)
Dust-coated furniture remains stacked inside the pub (mediadrumimages/DeanOverthrow)

Even trophies and other relics have been left in place in the time capsule pub, as though its occupants upped and left in the middle of a regular night.

Urban explorer Dean Overthrow shared pictures from inside the building, which is situated between Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury, Shropshire, revealing the kegs were still connected to the bar's pumps.

Dean, 38, has had the chance to visit several abandoned pubs in the UK because of his job as a painter and decorator, but this one remains his favourite.

"There were still pint glasses under the pumps with lager inside," said Dean.

The bar's pumps are still attached to kegs (mediadrumimages/DeanOverthrow)

"All the chairs and tables were stored in one corner of the room.

"There was lots of old paperwork dotted around on tables.

"The second bar area had all the seats still in place. They looked ready to be sat down on.

"Each table still had a wine bottle with a candle stick on the top. It was very strange seeing things still laid out."

The pub kitchen has also retained its fridge and some empty boxes.

The desolate bar area (mediadrumimages/DeanOverthrow)

Dean said the pub looked as though it was simply waiting to be opened and serve its regulars.

But instead of being met with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, Dean said it was "cold and very dark".

"There was almost an element of mystery," he said.

"It was a strange feeling, but I was happy to have discovered this decaying pub."

All its relics are still in place (mediadrumimages/DeanOverthrow)

The Acton Arms closed in 2019, with Dean, 38, claiming the sight of abandoned barstools and drinks glasses could become a harbinger of the bleak future for British pubs if the damage wreaked in recent years continues.

An estimated three in 10 pubs are set to close next year as businesses feel the crippling pressures of soaring costs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the grim news, however, plans are currently in place for The Acton Arms to re-open and serve food and drink once again later this year.

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