Couple bid a sad farewell to Toddington’s Bedford Arms

Brewery Charles Wells recently called time on the well-used pub, and it is understood to have sold the site to a housing developer.

It follows the sale of the Sow and Pigs by Greene King for housing development, and the opening of the Ritzy Indian restaurant at the former Red Lion pub.

The pub was packed with regulars for publicans Wendy and Alan Hardiman’s leaving party on Sunday night. They are taking over another pub, the Romer Arms, in the village of Newnham, near Daventry.

The couple had only been at the helm for 18 months but had made the village their home. Their pets – chocolate labrador Ben and cats Dylan and Thomas – were also popular with regulars.

Mrs Hardiman said: “Toddington was ideal for us, the perfect location. It’s a great village.

“Our mums live in Hemel Hempstead so we came here to be near them. We’re not moving a million miles away but another 40 minutes is a lot when you work in the pub trade.

“People said they were looking forward to using our garden in the summer and celebrating the Diamond Jubilee here.

“Our customers said they’re really going to miss us, and we’re going to miss them.

“But the bottom line is the bottom line in business, and it’s a business decision.”

Mrs Hardiman said the pub trade nationally had suffered badly after the smoking ban was brought in, and that cheap alcohol in supermarkets and large town centre pubs had also had an effect.

She said she wanted to thank staff members Helena, Olly, Megan and Steve, who had been “absolutely wonderful”.

It is understood that the pub is to be turned into a four-bedroom house, with four more houses to be built in the garden at the rear.

The former florist’s shop adjacent to the pub is also believed to have been bought by the same developer.

No planning application has been submitted to date.

Another business in the village, Toddington Hardware, also closed at the weekend.

Parish council clerk Andrew Whiting said a housing development permitted for land behind the shop had meant the owners could no longer access their outside store room.

He said: “Fifty per cent of their business was coal and gas in bottles, and because the gas was hazardous it couldn’t be stored in the shop.

“The landlord’s deeds said there was right of access but landowner’s deeds said quite clearly that they don’t.”

Mr Whiting said the council had been contacted by people keen to open businesses in the village.

“We understand there are people interested in opening a bistro or cafe in the building where the b Gallery was,” he said.

“We’ve also spoken to a lady who is interested in opening a florist’s.

“There have been rumours that the Ritzy is closing but they have said they are staying open.”

Ritzy owner Saeed Ahmed confirmed yesterday that the restaurant was not closing, saying: “It’s just a rumour. We are beating our targets.”