Historic Old Town bar hasn't called out last orders just yet

Published on Saturday 19 July 2008 11:21

ONE of the city's oldest and best known pubs which has been closed since the beginning of the month has not shut for good, the owners said today.

Jenny Ha's at the foot of the Royal Mile closed suddenly two weeks ago with a sign simply stating it would not re-open until further notice.

This caused concern because the bar – which is said to date back to the 1600s – is one of the most talked about in Edinburgh for its history, interesting facade and colourful locals.

But owner Scottish &Newcastle Pub Enterprise said the agreement with former tenants simply came to an end and it was optimistic that new people would be found to run the bar within a few weeks.

Lettings manager Angus Campbell said: "It's hard to put an exact timescale on it because it depends on the quality and amount of those interested in it. We consider it to be a prime premises in a good location and there shouldn't be any shortage of interest."

The Canongate bar is steeped in history. Although now part of a 1960s block of flats, the pub frontage itself was christened Jenny Ha's long before.

It experienced a revival in trade when the Scottish Parliament – only a stone's throw away – opened and it became popular with tourists and parliament workers.

Previous leaseholder Douglas Smith said when he bought the pub in 2000 that he wanted it to become the place where power brokers reached deals and politicians exchanged plots.

It has changed hands a number of times in recent years, with S&N most recently taking on the ownership. But, despite the closure, a source at S&N added it wouldn't be too long before the pub was again open for business and extinguished fears that the legendary watering hole would be closed for good.

The source said: "We've definitely had a bit of interest in it. We've not put it back up for offers long and already the signs are pretty encouraging."

The pub is named after well-known 17th century landlady Jannet Hall. It is said Ms Hall was one of the first women to run a pub in Scotland.

Past regulars included Beggar's Opera writer John Gray and Allan Ramsay, the father of the famous 18th century painter of the same name.

One former regular, ex-MSP Brian Monteith

, said: "It was a handy little bar because it was the closest to the parliament and the best in the area.

"It comes as no surprise to me that the pub closest to the Scottish Parliament is finding difficulty, like so many others, in attracting enough custom two years after the over-the-top smoking ban was introduced."