The Green Dragon, Lovedean

Dear Dazza
I was unaware of this site until old friends and customers pointed it out, re your comments on the Green Dragon Lovedean, “I hear it’s definitely closing again Monday the 5th. I think with the price of beer and the smoking ban this pub has had its day. Went last night and although 80 tickets were available less them half that amount of people were in the pub, and despite getting the ashtrays out at midnight, the gesture was made far too late to save this pub. Had its best time when Simon ran it and since then has just continually gone downhill.”
Well I am the Simon you refer to, (I am now back in the UK permanently, and have been for a sometime).
I visited Portsmouth and went to Lovedean to see the old place, I was shocked and very upset to see the Dragon is now a Tesco, touring the area and seeing the Brewmaster as it is again upset me,
For the record, I did not want to leave the Dragon after some 10 years there, but Whitbread offered me a better pub in the Isle of Wight, and to be honest after all I did at the Dragon some people seemed to not appreciate me, or what I had done (indeed some complained to the Brewery, and having an area Manager just fresh from University, he listened), so, time to move on.
People forget easily, selective memory I suppose.
I remember when I accepted the pub, nobody else would take it, I had to go to Portsmouth to be interviewed by the Police 3 days on the trot, the week I took the Pub on, Weecock estate was on Panorama as the “worst estate in the South”.
The night I took over a car was set on fire outside the car park, as I watched the fire brigade deal with it a chap stood next to me said “that’s a welcome to Weecock”.
Those were dark days that thankfully are in the past for the wonderful community of Lovedean and Weecock, but we easily forget that it really was that bad.
I remember a revenge attack on a house up the road, a young kid had been killed at a party and a mob of youths rampaged his parent’s house in broad daylight trying to get to the son who they believed was involved.
There were terrible things happening in those days around the area.
The Green Dragon was bad news, but we turned it around, it went from the place nobody would go, to the place everyone wanted to go.
But to say that the only people that used it before were not welcome would be untrue, we re-launched it yes, but some of the old crew mixed in with the new, it worked.
Turning it from a pub with a separate public Bar and Lounge bar it to an open one bar operation, well, looking back at the way things were then, it would seem to be madness, but if the Dragon was to survive I had to do it, and I had to make it work!
People from every social circle mixed without any problems, they learned the boundaries of each other and really got on well.
In the 2 years before I took on the site the Police were called a total of 43 times, in my 10 years they were called 3 times, 2 in the first year.
In the 3 years leading up to me taking over the highest yearly take was £4,200, in my tenure the lowest was £28,000 (the first year), the highest year was £245,000, (my last year).
I think back to the cost to me, I was divorced, we lost our Son, people who I thought friends hurt me badly and yes it was tough, but that is life!
In other times we created something very very special, I remember the nights when we literally could not get anybody else in the doors, the party nights with bands, live comedians, and the charity nights, (we raised one hell of a lot of money for local charities and people).
The darts, Pool and Crib teams (ladies and gents) won every trophy and competition in the area in one year, this has never been done before or since, the football team won the Havent cup that same year.
Looking back I miss the old Dragon, I am extremely sad it has now gone, I am even sadder at the short sightedness of those who did not appreciate were we had come from in the bad old days, and were quick to find fault in my latter days, to them I hold no ill feeling, but I would say this.
As bad as you made me to be after 10 years at the Dragon, be aware I now have some 75 pubs all over the country that I administer, all are doing very well indeed, (don’t forget to make sure you look for the best bargain in your new Tesco”)
I miss really miss the old Dragon days, I have some very bad personnel memories in my life associated with that Pub, I also have some of my fondest, the people that used that pub in those times were very very special people, I only hope that the REAL people of that eara remember those times the way I do, and remember me with the fondness and appreciation I hold for them and for those times.
Simon

7 Feb 2015 02:35