Historic town pub set to close again just months after finding new ownership

The Bull pub in Fakenham pictured more recently. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Archant © 2011)

The Bull on Bridge Street, Fakenham reopened back in August last year after closing in 2017 but is now set to shut once again.

The lease to the pub was acquired by Luke Mortlock, who said he would be running it with his girlfriend Katarzyna Adamczyk, however in a post on The Bull's Facebook page, it was announced that it would now close 'due to a number of issues.'

The statement reads: 'It is with sadness that we announce our official closure, we're so grateful for your support over the last few months, but unfortunately due to a number of issues we've had to battle (some of which since before we even opened) we have decided that we are unable to carry on.

'We wish you well in your endeavours and hope you'll be able to find a suitable alternative that will fill your requirements. We'll miss you and hope to keep in touch.'

The exact reasons for the closure of the pub have not yet been disclosed.

The Bull had undergone some work before it was reopened back in August and Mr Mortlock had been advertising for new bar staff as it was hoped they would employ seven or eight people.

The Bull has a long history in Fakenham and is recorded to have been a pub as far back as 1837.

It was given its name as it was located on Bull Street, which is now Bridge Street, and it is said that the road's name was changed after a visit to Fakenham from the soon-to-be Queen Victoria.

The story is that the future monarch became stuck in a ford in her carriage and vowed never to return to Fakenham unless a bridge was built. The bridge was then built but she was still never to return.

The announcement that The Bull is again set to shut comes at a time when pubs in the county are closing at an alarming rate, with at least 145 shutting since 2010.