Greenwich Spread Eagle staff's shock at pub's closure

The newly revamped 17th century coaching inn, in Stockwell Street, shut its doors on December 12 after its company Greenwich Inc, which also runs venues such as Trafalgar Tavern and The Admiral Hardy, went into administration on November 29.

One of the administrators, Stephen Hunt, says there are no plans to reopen the pub due to financial difficulties but other Greenwich Inc venues were expected to stay open after “much interest”.

Staff came to the pub, where Greenwich and Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford held his wedding reception in October last year, on December 12 and were told the restaurant was closed and to pack up their belongings.

Assistant manager Petr Dvorak said: “You wake up, everything is fine, then you go to work and your manager says ‘we are closing, come here, take your clothes’.

“It was like thunder from the blue sky.

“It was very sad.”

The 36-year-old, from Ilford, Essex, is now without a job and worried about gaining his full November pay cheque back from Greenwich Inc.

Mr Hunt said: “The decision to close it was just entirely down to economics, it didn’t have enough trading. The other premises seem to be going strong.

“In terms of the Spread Eagle, we don’t have any plans to reopen it.”

He says the company was appointed at the request of a number of creditors and accused Greenwich Inc Group of “disgracefully” sitting on the cash for its employees.

He said: “They are sitting on the money and refusing to pay. They are not in insolvency. It is a fairly extraordinary position. We think it is a disgrace.”

A Greenwich Inc spokeswoman said all staff will be paid and the company was not available for further comment.