Representatives for Soho’s famed LGBTQ+ pub The Admiral Duncan have denied rumours circulating online that the much-loved Old Compton Street site is to permanently close – but have said it will not reopen under present restrictions.
The Duncan – which in 1999 was the victim of a homophobic nail bomb attack that killed three and injured 70 – has remained closed since lockdown began in March.
A statement from the Stonegate Pub Company, which runs the pub, said government restrictions were proving prohibitive to reopening.
The statement reads: “The Admiral Duncan has been closed since March when the Government ordered a national lockdown.
“The myriad of restrictions placed on pubs and bars has meant it is not possible to reopen the business at the current time and it will remain closed until restrictions are eased.
“Like many businesses across the capital the introduction of the 10pm curfew and subsequent further local tiered restrictions have had a significant impact on thousands of businesses, as well as further reducing footfall in town and city centres and undermining consumer confidence.
“The combination of these factors and subsequent impact on sales and volumes, means that we are having to rebase our business accordingly, whilst the restrictions remain.”
When asked for clarity, the group confirmed that the pub would not reopen until the current trading restrictions are lifted, but avoided saying that it would not reopen at all.
The Stonegate Pub Company also look after the King’s Arms on Poland Street, another popular LGBTQ+ bar in Soho, and the Retro Bar, which is just off the Strand. Both are also closed, and the group’s statement applies to all three bars.
Responding to a request for comment regarding rumours of staff redundancies at all three venues, Stonegate said: "Whilst we are continually working to protect jobs, the challenges of curfews and Tier restrictions have had a significant impact on many of our businesses.
"The introduction of the JSS scheme is simply not practical as it stands for our closed late-night pubs and our severely restricted hospitality businesses. We continue to assess the scheme and fully intend to access this support where it makes commercial sense for us to do so to protect as many jobs as we can.”
