Hampshire country pub shuts children's area after vandalism

The Robin Hood pub in Durley announced the closure of its outdoor Wendy house after customers badly damaged it on September 6.

The pub announced the closure in a Facebook post saying: "This is an incredibly sad post for us to have to write, but unfortunately we feel we have no choice, because this behaviour is simply not acceptable."

"We have worked incredibly hard to make The Robin Hood somewhere that genuinely caters for everyone, and that very much includes our youngest visitors.

"We know how important it is for children to have a lovely time too, which is why we invested so much time, effort, care and money into creating a dedicated play space for them.

"To find the area yesterday, in this condition, has honestly broken our hearts."

The Wendy house was packed with toys, custom-made signs and protective flooring. The pub said vandals ripped up the flooring, left the toys in a tyre and broke the signs off their display.

It said: "We have poured so much into this pub over the past year.

"Our staff work incredibly hard, not only to serve our customers, but to make sure these child-friendly areas are tidy, safe, welcoming and ready for little people to enjoy.

The Robin Hood, located on Durley Street. (Image: Google Street View)

"Please, respect our pub. It truly is our heart and soul."

The team highlighted that the incident left them feeling "genuinely so disappointed" and apologised to the children who would miss out.

It said: "We’re especially sorry to all the wonderful children who have always played respectfully and will now miss out because of the actions of a few."

The Wendy house will reportedly stay closed for the rest of the year while repairs are carried out.

The pub must replace the toys, repair the signs and renew the flooring before reopening.

The Robin Hood urged those responsible to come forward and help repair the damage.

Other facilities remain open, like the bouncy castle, and the pub highlighted that families are still welcome.

The Robin Hood is reportedly one of the village's oldest pubs, with records showing it was operating by 1855, when John Browning was listed as the publican in a Hampshire trade directory.

Today, it is an award-winning gastropub, run by landlords Martin and Cindy, who took over in 2010, helping transform it into a well-known food destination while retaining its role as a village hub.