Mary and Nick Galer, patrons of The Miller of Mansfield likely to close the Goring-on Thames inn after eight years after landlord demands 90 percent rent increase

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor

Patrons of The Miller of Mansfield Mary and Nick Galer are poised to close the reading inn after eight years as their landlord asked that they pay 90 percent more rent should they renew their lease.

The couple, who first took over the inn in 2014, said that they have been "in a state of limbo" since their landlord presented the lease renewal proposal last September, and that while they are still awaiting a final outcome, they have notified their team that "it doesn’t look like we’ll viably be able to stay."

Guests have been invited to get in touch about transferring any bookings, though, they added, "it’s just very unlikely that we will be here much longer."

The award-winning inn, located in Goring-on Thames, was caught in a fire in 2020, causing substantial damage to the building, compounded by the challenges faced by the whole industry as a result of the pandemic.

In a social media post announcing their likely imminent closure, Nick and Mary expressed gratitude at what they said has been "an amazing 8 years," and said: "Being a part of our local community was imperative and the support we’ve had has been warmly received and greatly appreciated. The awards we’ve won along the way have been the icing on the cake.

"Thanks to you all,
Mary & Nick."

Rent rises are just one of the challenges faced by hospitality businesses as they attempt to recover from the pandemic, facing issues with recruitment, supply chain and inflation - not to mention looming VAT rises, set to return to the standard rate of 20 percent, having been increased from 5 percent to 12.5 percent in September 2021.

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