Safe Harbour publicans Graham Allen and Gill Pascoe retire in Fowey

Last orders of a different kind have been called at The Safe Harbour in Fowey. After more than three decades pulling pints for St Austell Brewery, Graham Allen is stepping back from pub life, and his partner Gill Pascoe is going with him.

Thirty-five years behind the bar

Graham Allen is retiring after a 35-year career with the independent, family-run Cornish brewery. He started out at the Britannia Inn in Chacewater, then spent ten years as a chef at The Customs House in Padstow before taking on The Safe Harbour, which he has run for the past 16 years. In that time the pub has become a fixture for locals and visitors working their way around the Fowey waterfront.

Gill Pascoe joined the team seven years ago, arriving from a very different world. She spent 35 years in education before swapping the classroom for the bar, and quickly became a central part of how The Safe Harbour runs day to day.

An enormous contribution

The pair have been described as well-known ambassadors for both the pub and the brewery, praised for the way they looked after the business and the wider Fowey community.

Clive Greene, Head of Tenanted Estate at St Austell Brewery, said: “Graham and Gill have made an enormous contribution to The Safe Harbour and the wider community. Their warmth, dedication and hard work have helped make the pub what it is today, and they will be greatly missed by guests, colleagues and local residents. We wish them both a long, happy and well-deserved retirement.”

📷Luke Watts

A new name over the door

With Graham and Gill stepping down, the pub is not closing its doors. Local chef Luke ‘Boris’ Watts is taking over as the new publican, keeping The Safe Harbour in the hands of someone who knows the area.

The Safe Harbour is one of a large network of pubs the brewery runs across the region. Alongside 45 managed pubs, St Austell Brewery’s South West estate includes 120 leased and tenanted pubs run by independent business partners. The company, which is marking its 175th anniversary this year, currently lists 15 tenancy vacancies across Cornwall and Devon, from the Earl of St Vincent at Wadebridge to the Golden Lion at Port Isaac. Anyone tempted to follow the same path Graham did all those years ago can find out about running a St Austell Brewery pub here.

📷Graham and Gill