AN ICONIC 500-year-old pub in the UK’s poshest town has suddenly shut – with the area’s “cheap locals to blame”.
The historic 500-year-old Windmill Inn pub – a hotspot for well-heeled residents in Linton, North Yorks – shut down suddenly when its landlords called last orders this week.
Locals in Leeds’ richest enclave – where sprawling mansions sell for millions – were accused of failing to support the pub after its much-loved landlady moved on last year.
They were said to have “turned their back” on the boozer when new managers took over, with one punter telling Sun Online: “They’ll splash cash on their swimming pools but won’t stump up for a pint.”
But the claim sparked uproar among well-off locals who said they were loyal until the last drop, and are now rallying to rescue their cherished watering hole.
Jill Cooper, of Linton Residents Association, said: “The people that came in had never run a pub before. They had no experience. They put a manager in place to run the pub, but they weren’t very hands-on.
“It was never [about] the price of the drinks. There were a number of changes of manager since last May which didn’t help but the locals all remained loyal, as it was still a great place to get together and socialise.
“When they decided to put in a new chef and changed the menu, put up the prices and tried to go upmarket, in my opinion, that is when it started to go wrong.”
Ms Cooper added: “It is the first time the pub has shut in its entire history. It is a huge part of village life – the pub is at centre of the community.
“People went there for a social chat, to catch up over a drink. Not just for lunches or dinner.
“I could go in the that pub as a woman and feel safe, and that’s not always the case.
“There was always someone there that I knew and the staff were amazing.
“It’s really, really devastating news.”
Walking through the village with friends, John Fear said: “It’s a lovely old pub and you’d think there’d be enough money around here to support it.
“Maybe it’s the culture. People are working from home and drinking less. Everything changed after Covid.
“It would be great if the millionaires chipped in to bring it back.”
Linton, once home to former Leeds United stars Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer, is one of the most exclusive areas in Yorkshire.
Stone-built mansions are on the market for upwards of £2.5m, with the average detached home fetching £775,000.
Behind high hedges and grand gates, the full extent of its lavish properties are hidden from public view.
But drone images reveal the level of affluence which reportedly once drew Only Fools And Horses star David Jason and Desperate Housewives’ Teri Hatcher to call the village home.
As Porsches, Lamborghinis and top-end Range Rovers drove past The Windmill, Mike Jamieson, 57, said the village was mourning its closure.
He said: “The pub was very popular. It was the centre of the community and there’s a lot of concern that it’s shut.
The fear is that the pub gets mothballed, the windows get boarded up and then at some point it’s sold off
Jill Cooper
“We’re all just hoping it will reopen. It would be a great miss.
“There’s been a change in management in the last year. The long-term landlady moved out and new tenants came in.
“But you’ve got to know what you’re doing, running a pub.
“Everybody wants to see it back open again.”
The historic watering hole – which dates back to 1564 – was a cornerstone of village life, with the local ski club holding its meetings there to plan their next foreign getaways.
But skyrocketing costs seemingly made it impossible for the owners to keep it running.
The Windmill’s general manager, named only as Craig, told Leeds Live: “It’s come to the end of the contract with the people here, at the moment. They just didn’t want to continue.
“It’s just the industry as a whole. I’ve been doing this for 37 years and have never seen anything like it. I’ve got three friends who have closed their pubs in the last four weeks. They’re staffed all over Yorkshire and they’re very successful pubs.
“We’re at that pinnacle of this is the most you’re going to make and you get towards April with all the inflation increases is not going to help. The industry as a whole has been struggling since Covid.”
Super-rich villagers could now plot a dramatic comeback by pooling their deep pockets to buy the pub themselves.
The Linton Residents’ Association has written to owner Heineken to ask what they plan to do – but buying the pub is “on the table” if it does not reopen.
Mrs Cooper said: “We are hoping that Heineken will find new, experienced tenants quickly and reopen the pub.
“But they are a huge company and The Windmill may just be a small pinprick for them.
“The fear is that the pub gets mothballed, the windows get boarded up and then at some point it’s sold off.
“That’s what we cannot allow to happen.”
I know it has a reputation as being a very rich area but there’s a really thriving community. Most of the people here are very lovely
Gill Sirmaloglou
Outside the pub, would-be customers turned up unaware that the pub had shut its doors.
Gill Sirmaloglou, 70, had received advance notice and said: “I was supposed to go for lunch today but they cancelled my booking, which is a shame.
“It was under relatively new management and maybe it wasn’t quite working out for them.
“It would be great it the locals came together to save it. That would be fantastic.”
Despite Linton’s posh reputation, locals insist the village isn’t just for the rich.
Ms Sirmaloglou, from neighbouring Collingham, added: “The village is gorgeous. The houses are beautiful and it gives the impression of being a very prosperous area. But the people who live here aren’t snobby.
“When I’m walking the dog, people will often stop for a chat.
“I know it has a reputation as being a very rich area but there’s a really thriving community. Most of the people here are very lovely.”
Felicity, who moved to Linton from Leeds to raise her four-year-old daughter, admitted she worried the villagers would be “snobby” when house-hunting.
But she said: “There’s definitely a good community here. When we moved I was fearful that it was going to be a snobby village because you get that impression.
“But everyone has been super friendly.
“If we move, then we would stay local. But houses don’t come on the market very often.”
Ms Cooper agreed, adding: “It’s not a snobby place. A lot of people developed their wealth from fairly ordinary circumstances, rather than old money.
“Linton’s got a very good community. If you walk around the village there are lots of houses with big gates but the people are very friendly and down-to-earth.
The Windmill Inn has been approached for comment.
