A POPULAR pub with hundreds of positive reviews has suddenly closed this week after administrators were appointed.
The King's Head, in High Street, Chipping Ongar, has ceased to trade and is now closed after the appointment of joint administrators licensed to act as insolvency practitioners.
A message on the pub's Facebook page says: "Following the appointment of the Joint administrators on Monday, July 21, this site has ceased to trade and is now closed. A dedicated website has been set up to answer any questions you might have - pwc.co.uk/oirl.
"Ross Connock, Mark James Tobias Banfield and Tom Crookham have been appointed as Joint Administrators of Oakman Inns and Restaurants Limited and Oakman Dev Limited to manage their affairs, business and property as their agents and without personal liability."
The pub has a 4.2-star rating on Google with more than 700 reviews, and its closure has sparked an outpouring of sadness across the Ongar community.
Bosses at The Stag, another popular pub in the area, shared their sadness on their on social media, urging residents to help keep their local pubs and restaurants alive.
A spokesman for The Stag shared on Facebook: "We’re truly sorry to hear that The Kings Head in Ongar has gone into administration.
"Over the past year, the cost of running pubs have increased dramatically—rising energy bills, new and higher taxes and duties, an increased minimum wage, and other financial pressures have taken a serious toll on the industry.
"If we want to keep our local pubs and restaurants alive, it’s more important than ever for people to support them by visiting regularly. Without that support, sadly, more closures are inevitable and often when they close, they get turned into private residences or completely different businesses and are lost as a forever."
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