A LANDLADY who is celebrating 40 years in the same pub says she has no plans to retire.
Carol Brown has been behind the bar at The Colpitts in Hawthorn Terrace, Durham City, since 1973 when beer was 13p a pint.
Prices may have gone up, but The Colpitts is one of the few pubs in the centre of Durham City to have kept its traditional “fireplace and floorboards” feel.
“I enjoy working here,” said Carol. “It’s something different every day, and you meet new people every day.”
Carol met some famous people over the years, including Durham University students who went on to make a name for themselves.
“Will Greenwood the British Lions rugby player used to drink here when he was at Hatfield College,” said Carol. “He always calls in to say hello when he visits Durham.
“Edward Van Cutsem was another student who used to drink here.
“People may have read of him as a friend of Prince William.
“After Edward left here, the next time I saw him was in the pages of Hello magazine which featured his wedding to Lady Tamara Grosvenor, the daughter of the Duke of Westminster.”
Other famous faces seen in The Colpitts include snooker player Alex Higgins, and television actor Geoffrey Hughes who was in Keeping Up Appearances and Coronation Street.
Carol, 68, looks set to break the record for the longest-serving landlady at the pub.
Her predecessor Irene Spencer, who was also Carol’s aunt, kept The Colpitts for 42 years.
Comments