Wig and Pen pub in Truro closes down suddenly

A well-known Cornish pub with a chequered past has closed down 'with immediate effect' just two and a half years after being taken over. The Wig & Pen in Truro, which has changed ownership and management several times in recent years, has shut its doors today (July 11).

Its owners confirmed the news in a social media post saying rising costs had become too much. Tom and Lara Trubshaw took on the much-loved pub and restaurant in January 2022. They are also behind The Peterville Inn, in St Agnes, which just won an award for being the best pub in the whole country.

Sharing the sad news, the duo said it came with "heavy hearts" that they had to call time at the bar. A statement reads: "It’s with very heavy hearts that after two and a half years at the Wig & Pen we let you all know we’ve made the extremely difficult decision to move on from managing the pub and have closed the site with immediate effect.

READ MORE: Owners of Cornish fish and chip shop say goodbye after 10 years

READ MORE: Restaurant closes for good because it's too difficult

"The combination of high tax rates, energy bills and other continually rising costs means despite looking at every possible option we are left with no choice but to call time at the bar. A huge, huge thank you to all our fantastic team and customers with whom we’ve shared this journey - it was brilliant, truly."

The pub has always been a staple of Cornwall's capitol city, hitting the headlines for a multitude of reasons. Last March a car crashed into it injuring three people. Later in the year the owners sought listed building permission to open a restaurant in the below road level basement. A recent review by a CornwallLive reporter said the pub had returned to its glory days under their ownership.

The space has previously been used as a restaurant as well as live music venue and tiny nightclub, but has was then unused for a number of years. The pub in Frances Street has rave reviews on TripAdvisor with an average rating of 4.5 across 119 reviews, the latest of which reads: "Another fine pub to return to in the future."

There is no suggestion its sister pub, The Peterville Inn, will close with its Facebook page displaying a post from earlier today showing a look at its new menu. The couple has owned that pub since July 2020.

⚠️ Want the latest Cornwall breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and we'll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.