Hootananny pub (formerly Hobgoblin)

[lang rabbie]

FYI, this was just emailed me to:Anyone able to check this?

Earnpark's name has certainly appeared on the licensing applications to Highlands Council for the Inverness venue.

BUT.... It strikes me as a bit odd that somebody would send you that on a Sunday morning when the Companies House website is on its weekly shutdown so noone can pay £2 (of whatever it now is) to verify/disprove it -why wouldn't your informant send you a copy of the actual Companies Act return.

Edited to add: and the fact that a company is losing money doesn't mean that the Inverness pub is operating at a loss -e.g. interest on a mortgage/loan to buy the freehold would be chargeable to the profit and loss account.

 

[tarannau]

Well, strangely enough, the pub-that-was-the-Hob didn't open yesterday as suggested. Not sure of the reasons why, nor why the outgoing staff were told that it was going to reopen so swiftly.

Lots of scaffolding and builders active on site today, so Earnpark's clearly not on its arse entirely yet. Not sure of the relevancy of the companies house info tbh - as Lang says, it's largely meaningless without more context. The only thing I've vaguely heard - reservations about Brixton gossip in mind - that they've got far from limitless pockets when it comes to the renovation, which is fair enough really.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Perhaps they could turn it into Ernpark.

It'd save going all the way to Trans-Dniester.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Well, strangely enough, the pub-that-was-the-Hob didn't open yesterday as suggested. Not sure of the reasons why, nor why the outgoing staff were told that it was going to reopen so swiftly.

Went past last night, the pub is totally closed and the inside is a mess of ripped up wood and rubbish. Looks like they're doing more work on the back bar (music room) than the main front bar.

regulars will be well aware of that lad who came into the pub garden daily to pick up old fag butts.....well he's still doing it even though there hasn't been any customers smoking in the garden for days! Bless...

 

[tarannau]

Whatever crew they've brought in are certainly working hard. They were started first thing on Sunday morning and were still hard at work past 10 pm. I'm guessing they're aiming for a grand opening this coming Friday now, at least based on their website.

 

[editor]

I've had another email:

It does not matter what you think .We in the
Highlands in Inverness are well aware of
Earnpark/Hootanannny.Kit Fraser is not
Scottish -he is from Ipswich and any poor
sod doing work better look out He has tried
to sell this pub for the last two years but
nobody wants it.He has only moved to
London because one of his shareholders ran
off to London with his wife S++++.The lease
is held by his sister S____ and him and they
hope to make money in Brixton where no one
knows them and they will be able to run up
fresh credit.If the pub cannot make a profit
in the Highlands/Inverness .Do you think
Brixton will be able to?

 

[tarannau]

Very cryptic. Oh well, we'll see what happens now then I guess.

One of the partners, Kit's wife I assume, is apparently from near Brixton. Be interesting to see how it pans out, but if they're expecting a burgeoning welcome crowd on Friday's opening night they'll be sadly disappointed/ Perhaps they're bussing people in, but otherwise (unless they're web literate saddos like us) there's no notification of the opening date on the pubs or surrounds as yet.

 

[ska invita]

It's an, er, brave venture.

I wonder what made them think "Hey, this formula works in Inverness, it's bound to work in Brixton!"

I was up at the INverness one last christmas - had a nice Thai meal in there.

This is nuts - but maybe all the poor lost Scots in the whole of London will decend here everyday of the week.

Never happen.

I give it till spring.

 

[gabi]

I've had another email:

Is it fair to post those up unless you can verify their authenticity? Whos sending them?

 

[editor]

Is it fair to post those up unless you can verify their authenticity? Whos sending them?

The last one came from an btinternet address and I've invited him/her to post here.

 

[tarannau]

Went past last night, the pub is totally closed and the inside is a mess of ripped up wood and rubbish. Looks like they're doing more work on the back bar (music room) than the main front bar.

regulars will be well aware of that lad who came into the pub garden daily to pick up old fag butts.....well he's still doing it even though there hasn't been any customers smoking in the garden for days! Bless...

Heh. Saw the Trickychickenkid doing his fag run in the beer garden on the way home tonight. He's not quite the harmless figure he's made out to be - he's a habit of leaving steaming brown presents at times for the staff apparently, which makes Merv's anger towards him more understandable. And a load of the old Jam crew were in the park, playing dominos. It's been quite strange bumping into the old faces displaced in different places and pubs over the past few days.

The pub seems to have turned a strange shade of plum, which I'm hoping is undercoat. The floors have been ripped up in the main bar and the pool table is gone. Hopefully it'll return - it's the last one in the area really. The toilets, the worst part of the pub and the one area in most need of a major refurb, look entirely unchanged.

Their best hope for drilling up a little custom will be if they show the football and become a bit of a sporting pub in the daytime. I've seen no sign that anyone's going to stay around, or pay for the privelege, of bagpipe/fiddle/beardy celidh action, certainly not more than once in a blue moon.

 

[playghirl]

Interesting... very interesting.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

The HootaHobCanning opens tonight. They are giving out flyers offering you one free drink...though I havent actually seen them myself. I will no doubt go past and stick my head round the door tonight but I don't think i'll be able to bring myself to go in....I'd feel like a traitor!

 

[zoltan]

The Scotland game is def. being shown tomorrow at the Ex Hobgoblin

looks like its got live music til 3 tonight

 

[Brainaddict]

Just found this thread. I feeled like I've stumbled into some alternative Universe. Possibly not far from the Brentford Triangle*



*Robert Rankin reference

 

[tarannau]

Ah fuck it, I'd take their free drink and then move on.

I'm afraid that I'll be missing the grand re-opening, as I'm seeing my Celtic cousins in Wales over the weekend. I may educate the locals there on my plan for a 'cutting edge' Morris Dancing bar, complete with staff dancing round a May Pole and serving that traditional English favourite of Nachos ('because that's what works') but I fear that may slip into the realm of ridiculous national stereotypes and silly marketing bollocks.

But still, if anyone does goes down to see Davy the Ghost's poetry recital down Hootananny tonight, followed by fiddles, bagpipes and staff wearing kilts, please report back. They're even doing a mean genuine-article Scottish Thai meal I hear....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

The HootaHobCanning opens tonight. They are giving out flyers offering you one free drink...though I havent actually seen them myself. I will no doubt go past and stick my head round the door tonight but I don't think i'll be able to bring myself to go in....I'd feel like a traitor!

That feeling won't last long

 

[lang rabbie]

As the mystery informant hasn't provided more info, I've paid £3 (of my own money from my home PC, not my employer's )for the company records.

From the most recently filed set of accounts for Earnpark Ltd at Companies House (the 2006 books need to be filed by the end of October 2007).,

Someone with more experience of the pub trade may have a better idea than me how this compares with the industry norm.

E&OE - I haven't checked whether my retyped figures add up!

Profit and Loss Account
year to 31 December 2005
...........................................2005.................2004
...........................................____.................____
Turnover..........................804,117.................631,371
Cost of sales.....................439,617................355,865
Gross Profit.....................364,500..............275,506
Admin Expenses..................295,870...............296,051
Other Operating Income.......(4,200).................(4,200)

Operating Profit (loss).......72,830...............(16,345)
Interest payable.................37,217..................54,908

Profit/(loss) on ordinary
activities before tax
= Retained profit/(loss).........35,613................(71,253)

Balance brought forward..(312,463)..................(241,210)
Balance carried forward...(276,850)..................(312,463)

On first glance, the balance sheet doesn't look particularly healthy - with net current liabilities of £368,000. But the company has property valued at £1,012,000 and bank loans only come to £370,000. So it is quite possible that they had recently had a brewery loan to finance a refurbishment which could be paid off out of hopefully enhanced turnover.

I'm more puzzled by the scale of the brought forward losses.

75,000 out of the 395,000 shares of the company were owned by people with Lambeth addresses.

 

[Ol Nick]

Trust you all caught the bagpipe band playing outside the tube at half eight tonight. Scotland the Brave indeed.

 

[editor]

As the mystery informant hasn't provided more info, I've paid £3 (of my own money from my home PC, not my employer's )for the company records.

Cheers for that.

 

[brixtonvilla]

I went past about 10 and they were still playing bagpipes. Is this going to be a regular thing? I legged it in the opposite direction pdq...

 

[ivebeenhigh]

popped in there for a pint last night.

the have made teh bar area all one level, the pool table is gone and its looks considreably brigther.

next door is the same colour as the new outside, a dark red. it looks unfinished.

there were men in kilts, they are getting tennants in on draft.

the had a soul cover band lpaying when i got there, the sound was dreadful.

it was really busy though every table was full outside at 1am.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Popped in on the way home to have a look.Like I'vebeenhigh says, it looks a bit half finished, especially the big back room. The soul covers band I'd describe more as a cheesy acid jazz type thing. They were really terrible. Overall it was a bit weird really, didn't seem to know what it was trying to do.

Are they seriously getting Tennants in? We were joking about that last night, it's truly horrible stuff.

 

[brixtonvilla]

Are they seriously getting Tennants in? We were joking about that last night, it's truly horrible stuff.

Scots can't brew beer. This is a fact.

 

[ivebeenhigh]

Popped in on the way home to have a look.Like I'vebeenhigh says, it looks a bit half finished, especially the big back room. The soul covers band I'd describe more as a cheesy acid jazz type thing. They were really terrible. Overall it was a bit weird really, didn't seem to know what it was trying to do.

Are they seriously getting Tennants in? We were joking about that last night, it's truly horrible stuff.

yes they are the delivery was late.

and the band were beyond awful

 

[ska invita]

the sound was dreadful.

which was exactly the problem with its previous incarnation.

 

[bottomline74]

Hi
I'm Ian and do the web site for Hootananny, I've posted a couple of times on behalf of Kit, I'd like to post with no association to the pub.
I've been lurking a few weeks and obviously interested in folks views.
Firstly thanks for the reasoned responce to the personal stuff posted here
about Kit, it could have gone bonkers, I appreciated it. It's not all true, but it's for him to sort. To me he's a good enough guy trying to do good things, hard to deal with at times and contrary as feck but his hearts in the right place I've found.
Inverness is a good wee venue, gives lots of local bands a gig and works as a mixing place for bands, promotors, punters. I'ts healthy and they put regular money into the pot to float it a bit by creating gigs. There is a big variety in the bands we get up here. You can have an input, just talk to Davy (a pal of Alabama 3 & Corinne Billy Rae as I'm sure he'll tell you.......... and the text from Quincy Jones .............
Hope they get the Lithuania game on and up loud today and we get an early goal to settle the nerves.
I believe it's a hired pa for a week or so untill the orderd stuff turns up, we'll see after that, the cheap messageboard is an extra to the site and I'm no paying for it myself as would happen.
Anyway there we go.
Cheers, all the best
Ian
been to Brixton once, a Neil Young convention weekend in the Canterbury, from a wee Highland village to the heart of Brixton .... mind blowing ..... but brilliant !
mibby do it again some day.

 

[lang rabbie]

I have some time for anyone was willing to stand as a candidate (for the Publican Party) against the nanny state of the Scottish Executive when they introduced the smoking ban.

 

[corporate whore]

Scots can't brew beer. This is a fact.

What a thing to say.. echoing earlier comments, the bad were risible and a few men in kilts does not a Scottish pub make!

 

[brixtonvilla]

What a thing to say.. echoing earlier comments, the bad were risible and a few men in kilts does not a Scottish pub make!

But I'm right. Scots make shit beer. McEwans, 80 Bob, Tennents... you name it. All shit. They are getting the hang of whisky, though, I'll give them that.