A ‘sad day’ as Kittybrewster Bar regulars say farewell to pub
It closed for the final time on Saturday.
Owner David Reid of the Doric Pub Company, who has owned the venues for more than a decade, blamed continuing rising costs.
He said this made it “impossible” to carry on and the company has now entered voluntary liquidation.
The Press and Journal spoke to area manager Nicola Williams as she and the her team prepared to say goodbye.
At the Kitty bar this afternoon were a group of regulars enjoying one of their final pints at the establishment.
They called it a “sad day”.
Michael Deans from Tillydrone has been drinking at the Kitty for the past eight years.
A former patron at the Broadsword, which closed in 2017, he joked: “Every bar I go to seems to close down.”
Also there was Barry Mitchell, who has been enjoying pints at the Kittybrewster Barsince he turned 18.
He is now 47.
Last year he had to close his business of ten years, but there has been cameraderie and support to be found in the pub, where Barry has met “a lot” of friends.
He said: “One of the lads from Orkney that used to drink here messaged me today speaking about it.”
Kittybrewster Bar ‘part of this area’
Joining Barry was his friend, Billy McKenzie.
The pair know each other so well that Barry’s son even calls him “granda Billy”.
Barry said the bar is the “heartbeat of the community”, a genuine “local”.
“This is not the middle of Union Street, this is part of this area,” he said.
Another visitor enjoying a final alcohol beverage was Sandy.
It was his local for “about 15 years” when he lived in the area.
Sandy remembers the Kitty’s “heyday”, which was when the local mart closed in 1989 and moved to Inverurie.
“I think there was more dealing done in here than at the mart,” he recalls.
He also spoke about how it used to have three different bars, including the lounge, where people “thought they were snobs”.
As well as regulars, four medicine students from Aberdeen University were in celebrating having completed a presentation.
Now in second year, they moved to the local area in September.
They face having to find a new place to drink.
“There’s not too many nearby, that’s the thing,” Jonny Laing said.
“We used to always go to the Bobbin in first year, but it’s a bit far now.”
The P&J also spoke to two former barmaids.
Speaking about the punters, Linda King said: “You get a good laugh from some of them.”
She revealed she got a “bit of a shock” when the Kitty’s closure was announced and is concerned what the impact will be on the impact of “older folk”.
Ann Riddle, who worked as a barmaid at the Kittybrewster Bar, has “a lot” of memories of the establishment.
The 83-year-old said: “I’ve come in here just now and I’ve not seen any of them for years.
“I still keep in touch with my boss.”
Like Linda, she was surprised to hear it is closing.
MHA in Aberdeen have been appointed as the liquidators and both pubs could be put up for sale.
[Source: Press and Journal]
