Looking back - The County Hotel closed in January 1995

The County Hotel, was a historic, then 500-year-old pub that was very much loved by the Taunton community.

Tears and bears flowed for the last ever Friday night dance at the County Hotel in East Street, Taunton, as the locals said goodbye to the beloved pub.

The last dance was a fundraising event for the Friends of Taunton Hospitals and hundreds of people were in attendance.

It was Sunday January 8, 1995 that the pub and hotel officially closed after serving one more breakfast for the guests who stayed in the 66-bedroom hotel one last time.

The impressive building was then handed over to Lombard Street Properties from Stourbridge to carry out major refurbishments.

Six shop units were placed in the premises instead of the hotel which are still there to this day, currently Waterstones is one of the retailers.

For the 35 staff that worked at the County Hotel, they were offered different roles within the owning company elsewhere in the country but only two applied for a transfer.

For two employees in particular, the closing of the pub meant a lot to them.

Senior departmental manager Mike Atwell and bar manager Brian Johnson both worked at the hotel for 33 years, starting as page boys in the 1960's.

General manager Nick Axon had worked at the County since 1981 said it was a huge loss to the community.

"Personally I am very sad, I think we'll get all the staff together and have a wake.

"There will be tears, there are a lot of serving staff and I regret that these people who have served the hotel, served the community, really are going to be without a home."

Axon went on to say: "I would be surprised if there's anyone in Taunton who hasn't visited the County at some stage, whether for a christening, wedding, funeral, or any other event.

"It's all taken place at the Hotel at some stage."

And that was epitomised in May 1987 when the Queen and Prince Philip visited the County Hotel on a Royal visit.

They enjoyed a reception in the Mendip restaurant and a lunch with 180 guests, on the menu that day was smoked salmon and avocado mousse, roast fillet of English beef and whortleberry and apple sponge pancake.

Nick Axon said he was filled with nerves when the Royals came to the County.

"I can't remember an awful lot of what the Queen and Prince Philip actually said.

"I escorted them up to their rooms and I do remember Prince Philip remarking on the uneven and creaking floors in the corridor.

"He said it was nice to see old buildings still being used as hotels."

The County Hotel received many plaudits for the smooth way in which the Royal visit was handled.

The high quality service and attention to detail may have been why so many famous people visited the hotel, some for work, some for leisure and some just to escape the limelight.

To start, five former British Prime Ministers visited the County for different reasons.

War leader Winston Churchill received a rapturous welcome when he called Tory voters during the election campaign of 1950.

He spoke to more than 1,000 people inside the Hotel and a further 2,000 crammed into the car park to hear his speech.

Lord John Russell enjoyed an overnight stay in 1831, he waved at members of the public from his private window.

Edward Heath, Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher all visited on separate occasions as well.

In the music world, the County has always been a hotspot as well; Freddie Mercury and Queen stayed overnight during one of their live tours.

Fans were buzzing with excitement and gathered outside the Hotel to try and catch an up close glimpse of one of the biggest stars in the world.

As you can imagine being in such close proximity to the Somerset County Cricket Club, a number of players enjoyed food and nights in the County.

Former England captains Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch both enjoyed staying there when they would travel for a game at the County Ground.

Viv Richards and Ian Botham used the pub as a 'watering hole' during their time with Somerset and most of the cricketers from the club enjoyed a pint or two there.

Then general manager Mike Axon said he has to refuse to talk about the antics some of the cricketers got up to during their time at the hotel, but you can imagine.

To finish this looking back piece it seemed fitting to remember a quote from Fred Clarke, the editor of the bulletin of the Rotary Club of Taunton in 1995.

"The County Hotel has been a focal point in the life of so many organisations and there is absolutely no place in Taunton that can match the facilities it offered.

"The whole town has been damaged (by its closing) and its people deprived of a very real and valuable facility. Why was this allowed to happen?"