19 Dec 2023
It’s 4am on Halloween, and Wally Kasprak, landlord of the Crooked Billet in Colney Heath for 31 years, is sleeping soundly in his bed.
“All of a sudden there was an almighty crash,” he recalls. “The bed was shaking, the alarms had all gone off and my first impression was that the building had been struck by lightning. But then I looked out of the window…”
The scene which greeted him was one which he will never forget. A 20-tonne highways lorry had driven into the side of the Grade II listed pub, and was embedded in one of the supporting walls.
Fortunately the truck driver was unhurt, and in the months since his employers have gone out of their way to help with Wally’s insurance claim, but the disruption caused to his business has been staggering.
“Initially we were closed for three weeks due to the structural damage while they cleared the rubble, installed steel supports and rebuilt the walls, but just making it good for us to reopen has cost £30,000.
“The damaged area is about 200 years old, while other parts of the pub are up to 300 years, and as it’s Grade II listed we have a conservation officer overseeing all of the work.
“Unfortunately closing off that part of the bar has cost us about a dozen seats, which has seen about 40 cancellations in the run-up to Christmas as we just don’t have the space for Christmas dos at the moment.
“Even the darts team can’t play as there isn’t the room!
“We’re the only pub in the village now, but while we were closed a lot of our customers dispersed to The Woodman Inn and The Ploughs at Sleapshyde and Tyttenhanger and haven’t all returned.”
Work on rebuilding the Crooked Billet will start in the spring, and is expected to be completed by Easter, but there will be disruption from scaffolding and temporary traffic lights which could also affect trade.
Now Wally is urging villagers and visitors alike to come back and see what the Crooked Billet has to offer.
With a real coal fire, wooden beams and cosy nooks and crannies, the Billet is something of a destination pub for cyclists and walkers exploring this part of the Herts countryside, but Wally thinks there are still many people who don’t know they’re there.
It received silver in the South Herts Pub of the Year 2020, and has appeared in the Good Beer Guide for the past 30 years, so has plenty to offer real ale lovers.
“We’re a proper old-style village pub,” added Wally (pictured above). “We’re an independent free house serving traditional pub food, and we’d just like to encourage old customers to come back and support us, and any of your readers who might be passing to pop in and find out what we’re all about.”
The damage from the crash and related loss of business are all covered by insurance, but Wally is hopeful more customers will return once the work is complete to ensure they have a successful and prosperous 2024.
This year wasn’t the first time someone has driven into the historic boozer. In February 2012 a man in his 70s reversed off his drive, across the main road and into the pub’s toilet block. Another driver crashed into the same block the previous year, but fled the scene before his details could be taken.
