Family-run Tipton pub closes doors after 44 years of service
A much-loved pub has closed its doors after being run by the same family for 44 years.
The Dewdrop Inn, on Toll End Road, Tipton, received an emotional response from their regulars as they closed their doors for the last time on Saturday.
Pub landlord, John Ingram, 81, of Dudley, has retired from the pub business after more than 40 years to spend more time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
John's daughter-in-law, Wendy Ingram, 55 from Wednesbury, said: "This has been a proper family-run business, pretty much everyone has grown up in the pub through the years. There's a lot of history there.
"I have been in the pub since marrying Jason 33 years ago, and we have loved every second of it, we have had some amazing customers and when we closed the doors they honestly cried."
The pub was a regular stop for Tipton residents who praised the family-friendly feeling of the venue and the welcoming vibe from the staff.
The Dewdrop Inn became home to many members of the Ingram family, with John's son, Jason, pointing out the pub's importance in the family.
Jason Ingram, 53, said: "I have been around the pub since I was about three years old, It was my first job – pretty much as soon as any of the children became old enough they helped in the pub.
"I have loved every second of it, the whole family loved it really, it has been a real family venture. It is definitely going to be missed in the community."
The pub will now be put up for sale, where a potential buyer will hopefully renovate the pub to continue serving the local people of Tipton.
Jason continued: "We carried this on through Covid, it was a real old man's pub, you could come in and relax, have a game of dominoes and darts or pool and have a nice time.
"Some of the wild characters that we have had over the years, if you wrote a book on some of these customers it would honestly be a best seller. We are all going to miss it."
John will now go on to spend time with his five grandchildren and his five great-grandchildren as his family wait for a potential buyer to purchase Tipton venue.
