Wetherspoon calls last orders as it surrenders lease on Derbyshire pub

The Crown was hit hard by flooding when the Derwent burst its banks in November 2019 – devastating many town centre businesses.

Reinstatement works had been ongoing – but the pub failed to reopen after restrictions were relaxed in mid-May.

Now the pub chain has confirmed it has surrendered a 40-year lease it took out in 1998.

A spokesman was unable to confirm who the new leaseholders would be as it was not part of the surrender deal.

However, they were able to quash rumours that the pub would be turned into a Lloyds No.1 bar – a sub-brand of Wetherspoon

The spokesman said: “I can confirm that Wetherspoon has surrendered the lease of the building and this will not reopen as a Wetherspoon or Lloyds.

"There have not been any redundancies as a result of the closure.”

The lease on the building was surrendered on May 26. The Mercury has been unable so far to contact the current owners of the building to confirm whether a new leaseholder had agreed terms.

Businesses in Matlock town centre were left counting the cost after the severe flooding which deluged the town – forcing The Crown to shut.

Heavy rainfall, which brought parts of the country to its knees, was a “once-in-60-years” weather event, experts said.

Boris Johnson was famously pictured mopping out Matlock Specsavers after it was deluged.