"Nerves and excitement" as new landlord takes over The Rutland Arms following unexpected closure last year
Following a turbulent few months at a treasured boozer, which closed at the end of last year, a new landlord is gearing up to take over and give something back to the community.
The Rutland Arms, in which is owned by Stonegate Pub Group, closed its doors at the end of last year after the former landlady was evicted due to financial pressures.
Since its unexpected closure, the boozer has been boarded up leaving a hole in the Southsea pub scene.
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But Joel Wheeler has now decided to take over the cherished pub, with a view to transform it into a “cosy”, family friendly venue with the community at its heart.
The 39-year-old, from Southsea, said he would frequently walk past the business and admire how “beautiful” the building is, prompting him to get in touch with the pub group with a long list of ideas to inject a new lease of life into the boozer.
He said: “I’ve been running bars and restaurants since 2014. From to Brighton to Hampshire and now I want to do something for myself and I want to do it for the community as well because I feel that is something Portsmouth is lacking because we don’t have enough community hubs.
“I want to make it a football hub on match days with really good food but I want to make it family friendly and a place where everyone feels safe.”
Once open, The Rutland Arms is hoping to host a number of events and community inititiaves including mother and toddler groups, charity evenings, darts, pool, live music and quiz nights.
“I am nervous and scared but very very excited and can’t wait to make the community proud”, Joel added.
He explained: “The response has been overwhelming. I don’t know what to say, it has been absolutely amazing and I can’t thank everybody enough. I also want to employ local people and we had 294 cvs sent - I couldn’t believe it. It is very overwhelming and I’m so grateful.
“It’s great making all of these changes but there are a lot of local pubs that are suffering so I want to work with them so we can all succeed.”
More updates to follow.