Exeter pub was 'in crisis' before shock closure

There are no current plans to reopen it

An Exeter pub is said to have been "in crisis" in the months leading up to its sudden closure. The owner has now confirmed he has no plans to reopen.

At some point within the last few weeks, The Angel on Queen Street closed without warning. No message was left on the premises or the pub's social media pages to explain why.

The business' Facebook and Instagram pages have been lying dormant since late July, with its last posts advertising a comedy night in collaboration with local group Squawkers Comedy Club. One of the Instagram posts suggested that the bar was planning future events, as it said: "This event will be totally free and absolutely 100 per cent will be a bloody good night of hilarity to wind down (or wind up) your weekend.

"We will be hosting regular comedy nights going forward both open mic style and then a more professional (ticketed) event."

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Squawkers had been due to perform at The Angel again on August 11 but the comedy club announced just a few hours before the event was due to start that it would be cancelled. They said: "There’s an issue at the venue and they can't open. So rather than relocate and make it confusing we’ve decided to cancel tonight’s open mic

"We will be back next month with our Angel night, we love the venue and look forward to getting that rolling. Please stay tuned."

On August 23, the group then announced they would be "parting ways" with the bar, saying the collaboration was "not going to work out". They said they would be focusing on their regular events at other Exeter bars, including The Bootlegger and Coolings.

In a Facebook post, Squawkers said: "We’ve unfortunately decided to part ways with The Angel bar in Exeter. After a few trial gigs we’ve decided it’s not going to work out." DevonLive has contacted the comedy group for more information.

Local band The Missing Keys had been due to perform at the pub on August 22 but said they arrived on the day to find the venue closed and that they were unable to get hold of anyone.

Band member Dominic Garnett told DevonLive that it appeared the pub was "in crisis", claiming there had been reports of staff not being paid. He described the place's alleged downfall as a "real shame", saying it had once been among "Exeter's best pubs".

Dominic said: "It has just been a disaster. They were keen at first, but it quickly transpired to be a pub in crisis. Reviews of it closed, staff reporting unpaid wages. The owner was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't even get the taps on. A real shame because it was once one of Exeter's best pubs."

A Google review made four months ago said the pub's alcohol supply appeared to be low during their visit. It said: "I used to like it here, but last time I went in, fridges were basically empty, all taps off except for Fosters."

We have also made multiple attempts to contact Marc Lesslie, who has been the owner of the bar since 2020. The Angel Bar provided a short response via its Facebook account yesterday (October 2) to say: "No plans to reopen as of yet". They did not respond to questions about why the pub has closed or whether staff and suppliers have been paid.

According to Companies House, where the business is registered as The Angel Bar Limited, no accounts have been filed since July 2022. These are overdue by more than a year, with the deadline for its last accounts having been July 31 2023.

The company, which lists Marc Lesslie as the director, is said to be active but subject to a compulsory strike-off proposal. It has had two strike off proposals, one in October 2022 that was dropped less than a month later and one in September 2023 which has been suspended after an objection was received. There have been no updates on this since October 2023.

The Angel's last micro accounts were filed in 2023 and gave a report of its financial situation for the year up to July 2021. It showed that it owed more than £200,000 to creditors and had just over £151,000 in combined fixed and current assets.

The site has now been secured with a temporary steel door and it appears the place has been abandoned, with photos showing pint glasses left on the bar. While a sticker on the door warns of asbestos removal, it has not been confirmed if the substance is actually present in the building. DevonLive has contacted VPS Security, whose sign appears in the window, for more information.

There has been a suggestion made that the bar was shut down by Environmental Health but Exeter City Council has confirmed that this is not the case.