Popular Northampton town centre pub closes with immediate effect

The Mail Coach, in Derngate, announced on Monday July 20 that it would be closing temporarily until further notice.

In a statement posted on social media, the pub said: "Due to circumstances outside of our control, we will be closed temporarily until further notice.

"We would like to apologise for our sudden departure, and express our gratitude to each and every individual who we have had the pleasure to have served over the years.

"Hopefully the doors will re-open sooner rather than later, but there may be some fresh faces behind the bar.

"Thank you, once again. Zak and The Mail Coach Team."

Chronicle & Echo approached The Mail Coach management team for further comment, but they declined. The pub’s owners have also been contacted for comment.

The announcement prompted an outpouring of support from customers.

One wrote: "I’m so sorry this has happened. Zak has been an excellent manager of this pub, its invariably busy with good food. A proper local in the middle of town, very popular with a very comfortable friendly atmosphere. Let's hope nothing has changed for the customers when it reopens!"

Another said: "Very sad to hear that hopefully we'll see it open again soon – very good pub."

A third commented: "My son and his Derngate staff mates were perplexed and sad. Only pub worth visiting in Northampton."

The closure comes just over a year after Stonegate Group put The Mail Coach on the market in search of a new operator. At the time, the company described the venue as "one of the jewels of Northampton town centre pubs" and said it was looking for someone to build on its success.

Zak and his team subsequently took over the running of the pub and have been at the helm for more than a year.