Owner in lease talks as Stafford's Seven Stars pub closes

The Seven Stars, on Cannock Road, Brocton, has been shut down by owners Mitchells & Butlers. The pub was well-known for its food and drink selection as well as its entertainment.

The pub was closed down on March 19, with a statement released on behalf of Mitchells & Butlers reading: "We constantly review our estate and have taken the decision to transfer the Seven Stars to a lease business.

"The site has now closed and we are in the process of finalising a lease agreement with a third party." Mark Rudd, aged 43, from Hednesford, who ran a weekly quiz at the pub for 17 years, said he was sad to see it close.

"It's very sad to see the pub close," he said. "I've been doing the quiz there since 2000."

"If it is being sold on, I think its going to be turned into a fine-dining restaurant – that's what the staff have told me.

"It was a good 17 years. I think I did about 860 quizzes there in total.

"I think in the last few years the brewery might have let things slip but if you're planning on selling a place you're not going to do it up."

The pub was previously known as the Oakhouse Inn and councillor Francis Finlay, who represents the Milford ward in which it was located, said it was 'a popular place'.

He said: "It is a reflection of the way society is changing today that another pub has had to close its doors.

"I haven't had any communication over why the site has been closed but it came as a shock to me.

"It had always been busy whenever I have been in over the years and seemed to be a popular place.

"Obviously it is sad as well because people would have had jobs there that they depended on.

"I hope the transition into whatever it becomes next is smooth."