Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Delivering the news from Henley on Thames and South Oxfordshire for over 100 years
TWO entrepreneurs were forced to give up two pubs after accruing debts of more than £1.5 million. Alex Sergeant and David Holliday ran the Bottle and Glass Inn in Binfield Heath and Hart Street Tavern in Henley as separate companies. They were wound down in May and August, owing more than £1m to HMRC and £54,000 in outstanding business rates to South Oxfordshire District Council. Suppliers were owed more than £40,000 and banks and contractors were also owed thousands. Begbies Traynor was appointed as the liquidator to distribute remaining assets to creditors according to insolvency legislation. The district council said it was waiting for confirmation as to whether it will receive payment of the business rates. The two pubs have since been bought out by businessman Matthew Munson, of Harpsden Bottom. Mr Sergeant and Mr Holliday launched the Hart Street Tavern in 2019, two years after they took over the Bottle and Glass Inn in 2017. Both venues were forced to close for several months when the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in 2020. Mr Sergeant told the Henley Standard: “The businesses battled hard through covid to survive but accumulated debt. “We worked tirelessly to try to trade out of it but the reality is the economic situation over the past couple of years has meant that, ultimately, the businesses were unable to keep up with repayments.” The Bottle and Glass Inn, formerly run by Brakspear, had been shut since 2013 before being bought and renovated by the ...
16/10/2025
