The Candlelight Has Now Closed

It’s with great sadness that we announce the permanent closure of The Candlelight.

This wasn’t the plan.

When we took on The Candlelight, we poured in everything—heart, soul, and savings—to breathe new life into a beloved rural pub. What we didn’t foresee was a perfect storm of external pressures that would make survival virtually impossible.

Rising costs. Road closures. No support.

Despite our best efforts, a perfect storm of pressures made trading unsustainable. The government slashed business rates relief for hospitality from 75% to just 40% in 2025, hitting us with thousands in unexpected costs. At the same time, the National Minimum Wage rose sharply—up over 20% in two years—while employer National Insurance contributions added further strain to already tight margins. Add to that the long-term and poorly managed A303 closures cutting off our customer base, and we were left fighting a battle we couldn’t win.

We are far from alone.

In 2024, more than 6,000 hospitality businesses shut their doors for good in the UK. That’s over 16 closures a day—pubs, restaurants, cafés, and bars vanishing at a rate this industry has never seen.

Even the titans of hospitality haven’t escaped:

• The Ledbury (2 Michelin stars) closed its doors for nearly two years due to unsustainable pressures.
• Tom Kerridge and other celebrity chefs have spoken openly about stripping back menus and services just to stay afloat.
• Michelin-starred restaurant L’Enclume was forced to scale back operations, citing supply chain chaos and unaffordable costs.
• Jamie Oliver’s restaurants are long gone, and countless others have followed suit.

When even Michelin-star kitchens and multimillion-pound brands can’t keep going, how are small independents meant to survive?

We are incredibly proud of what we created here—an inclusive, heritage-inspired dining experience with a fiercely loyal following. Your support meant the world to us. You came, you ate, you celebrated, you made memories. And for that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This may be the end of The Candlelight, but it’s not the end of our story.

With heartfelt thanks,

Gareth & Miranda

Former custodians of The Candlelight