Counting House, Wakefield
Counting House
Address: 40 Westgate, Wakefield WF1 1JY
Since the year 2000, the UK has lost over 15,000 pubs, that’s a lot of goodbyes. That’s a huge number, and it really shows how tough it’s been for the pub industry over the last couple of decades.
Right now, over 34 pubs are shutting down every month on average – the biggest drop since 2021, when Covid lockdowns and rising energy bills hit the whole hospitality sector hard.
So what’s going on? Are people just not as into going out for a drink any more? Or is it more about folks not being able to afford it? Pubs are doing everything they can to keep people coming in – food, live sport, pool tables, outdoor seating, you name it. But maybe even with a packed house, the costs – rent, mortgages, staff wages – are just too much to handle.
Pubs serve a purpose far deeper than just serving drinks. Especially in small villages, they become a kind of informal town hall — a place where stories are shared, problems aired, and community ties strengthened. Names like The Red Lion, The King’s Arms, or The Three Horseshoes tie locals to their past. They’re often steeped in the same stories and folklore that shape the village or town itself.
In short: it’s not just the drink, and not just the crowd — it’s the human need to belong, to be seen, to share space and story. That’s why pubs matter.
This album shows 35 pubs still open in Wakefield, plus a couple that have recently shut their doors for good and said the final words “Last orders please” I’ve done my best to show each one in a good light – because they all matter, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Counting House, Wakefield
Counting House
Address: 40 Westgate, Wakefield WF1 1JY
Since the year 2000, the UK has lost over 15,000 pubs, that’s a lot of goodbyes. That’s a huge number, and it really shows how tough it’s been for the pub industry over the last couple of decades.
Right now, over 34 pubs are shutting down every month on average – the biggest drop since 2021, when Covid lockdowns and rising energy bills hit the whole hospitality sector hard.
So what’s going on? Are people just not as into going out for a drink any more? Or is it more about folks not being able to afford it? Pubs are doing everything they can to keep people coming in – food, live sport, pool tables, outdoor seating, you name it. But maybe even with a packed house, the costs – rent, mortgages, staff wages – are just too much to handle.
Pubs serve a purpose far deeper than just serving drinks. Especially in small villages, they become a kind of informal town hall — a place where stories are shared, problems aired, and community ties strengthened. Names like The Red Lion, The King’s Arms, or The Three Horseshoes tie locals to their past. They’re often steeped in the same stories and folklore that shape the village or town itself.
In short: it’s not just the drink, and not just the crowd — it’s the human need to belong, to be seen, to share space and story. That’s why pubs matter.
This album shows 35 pubs still open in Wakefield, plus a couple that have recently shut their doors for good and said the final words “Last orders please” I’ve done my best to show each one in a good light – because they all matter, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.