While UK pubs continue to close at the rate of around 30 per week, one new public house is doing its tiny share for the people of Kent.
Recently claiming the crown of Britain’s smallest watering hole, the Little Prince in Margate, Kent is just six by eleven feet (6.0 m²) and holds just six people.
The Express UK reports the victory for 68-year-old publican Andy Barrett, who expects plenty of business.
“I came across an empty unit which used to be a sushi bar, and the idea came to me,” explains Barrett. “There was no pub around and I thought it would be quite novel.
“Margate is busy, it has so many attractions, the beach, Dreamland, carnival weekend, there will be lots of people dropping in.”
The Little Prince has usurped a Suffolk pub for the Guinness World Records crown. Built in 1867, The Nutshell languishes in a vast 15 by 7-foot (9.6 m²) footprint, with room for around 20 people.
Manager of The Nutshell, Jack Burton, is happy to see a new record-holder and says small is the way.
“Small is certainly beautiful as far as pubs are concerned; they have a much cosier atmosphere than the bigger pubs.
“When you are in a pub as small as ours, people are at such close quarters, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, it forces them to be more sociable and make conversation.”
One potential rival to the Little Prince is The Signal Box, made from a genuine Victorian rail signal box now occupying a lot in Cleethorpes.
While it does possess just eight by eight feet (5.9 m²) of usable interior, it also offers the English weather comforts of a beer garden.