A pub believed to be the last in Aberdeen to reopen after lockdown is preparing to finally welcome back punters after almost 18 months.
The Red Lion, located on Spital near the heart of Old Aberdeen, closed its doors on March 17 2020, six days before the unprecedented national lockdown that ushered in the country’s “new normal”.
Through the last year and a half – from Catherine Calderwood’s resignation, to the Aberdeen local lockdown, to the P&J Live’s transformation into a mass vaccination centre – it has remained closed to the public.
It did not even open up during the brief period before the second wave when restrictions were eased on indoor drinking, as distancing guidelines would have dramatically cut the cosy pub’s capacity.
But now, owner Jono Tosh has an opening date at last: September 6.
He said: “I’m nervous, I’m stressing a little bit, but I know it’s going to go well. It’s just because it’s been closed for so long.
“I’ll be fine, but when you’re reopening a place after a year and a half you do get a wee bit of butterflies.”
Pub refreshed during lockdown
Not many other pub owners in Aberdeen can relate to that – while Under the Hammer on North Silver Street is yet to reopen, it has been taken over by The McGinty’s Group after initially announcing its permanent closure and is undergoing a renovation.
Mr Tosh has taken advantage of the closure by sprucing up the interior of the Edwardian-style venue: the bar, floor and tables have been sanded down and revarnished, while carpets have been ripped out and disco lights have been installed.
The first week in September has been deemed the ideal time to show off that hard work for the first time.
It will mark the end of summer, usually the quiet season for a bar so close to Aberdeen University campus, but will also give the locals a couple of weeks with the place to themselves before the students return.
Regulars keen to return
Mr Tosh said he is looking forward to catching up with “every single one” of the regulars.
He said: “Normally when I’ve been working in the bar at the moment I get a knock on the door and they’ll come in and ask how I’m doing.
“I’ve kept in touch with them all over lockdown, phoning them to make sure they’re all alright. I think that’s just the morally right thing to do.
“They’ve all been going every week, ‘When are you opening? Open the pub, open the pub’ So I’m looking forward to just opening it so I don’t have to answer that question anymore.”
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