01/06/2026
Sunday 31st May 2026 Norman and I closed The Crown Inn doors for the very last time.
Five years ago, we took over The Crown with the grand plan being for Shane to manage it - with some help from ourselves! But when he decided the pub life wasn't for him (behind the bar anyway), we had to make the difficult decision on whether to close it down or give it a go ourselves - and here we are 5 years later!
When we started out, our aim was to keep The Crown as the hub of the village and make it a respectful, local community pub where locals and visitors alike could enjoy a hospitable welcome, a good drink, and some local knowledge and banter. We have always expected people to respect and uphold the morals and values that we set, and I would like to think our customers saw us as strict but fair.
We’ve genuinely had some of the most amazing nights in the pub. From all the amazing ROM nights - the Sunday kick-off, jamboree, and of course the big day itself, to the Hogmanay hoolie, the family nights, Christmas nights, Burns suppers and tradesmen nights. All of which have left us with some lovely memories.
We have also hosted the Nith Valley Loyal supporters Club, Troopers Club, Kirkconnel Women’s Guild, Monday Club, and Tuesday Club - which were all midweek and we were so grateful for them when weekdays were quiet, and the extra customers were always very welcome. We have met many amazing people along the way, some of whom are now lifelong friends.
In our five years we have carried out our annual fundraiser as well as charity nights and tins which have raised in total a staggering £38,000 for charity which has come from our generous local customers.
We are so grateful for all the help over the five years from our wonderful staff whom we could always rely on at all times whether just helping with bigger events when we were extra busy or when we were on holiday and they kept the pub going without a hitch.
We’re happy that we’re finishing having done exactly what we set out to do. And I’m sure you will all agree that Norman’s hard work in The Crown and the beautiful look of the building on the High Street is a nice legacy for us to leave (we knew he’d never manage to put his tools down!).
We’ve been mum and dad to many over the last 5 years but we’re looking forward now to spending more time with our own family and our eagerly anticipated grand weans - which has always been the most important end goal for us. But before we do, we wanted to personally thank EVERY single person who has come through our door, and a special heartfelt thanks to our loyal regulars - you all know who you are! We truly appreciate all the humbling messages, cards, gifts, and money that people have given to us both. We are genuinely overwhelmed with everyone’s kindness - but forever grateful. Thanks to you all!
Noddy & Libby
