Essex Pub That Displayed Golly Dolls Permanently Closed After Supplier Boycott
4 May 2023
The Essex pub under investigation by police investigation for its display of golliwog dolls on the premises has been closed down permanently.
The White Hart Inn in Grays served it’s last pint this week after a boycott by three of its suppliers.
The pub attracted national attention when Essex Police confiscated several dolls from the pub on 4 April following an allegation of a hate crime.
The establishment was subsequently vandalised and barred from featuring in the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide.
According to Landlady Benice Ryley both Carlsberg and Heineken told the pub to stop selling their products.
“It hurts. I’ve had 17 years of my life here… If people didn’t like it they didn’t have to come through my door,” she told Thurrock Nub News.
“I feel gutted. Totally and utterly gutted. Young people these days don’t understand from years ago where do the gollys originate from. It’s such a shame,”
“It’s my collection. They are antiques some of them and I want them back. This is my life now that they’ve ruined because we’ve got a stigma with our name now and the pub.”
The boycott goes further with maintenance company Innserve declining to attend the premises.
The Campaign for Real Ales (Camra) also declared the pub would not be included in its Good Beer Guide or be considered for any awards “while these discriminatory dolls continue to be on display”.