So what do you do when your local village pub closes? Drive to the next village I guess. But what do you do when that one closes too? And what replaces the local pub’s role in the informal village social network? Facebook? I hope not. Recent statistics suggest that 30 pubs are closing in the UK every week and most of them never re-open. Nineteen closed in Essex alone in 2014.

The Cross Inn, Great Bromley, a few miles outside Colchester, on the edge of neighbouring Ardleigh, closed its doors in May 2015. A few locals didn’t want the Cross to become yet another statistic and decided to do something about it. And that’s why this website is here.

In 2015 The Cross Inn, in Great Bromley, Essex closed and was put up for sale as a development opportunity. A group of locals didn’t want to lose the Cross as their village pub so set up “Save the Bromley Cross”. And amazingly, 18 months later, the pub is open again under community ownership.

Over three years later we are a thriving community hub. We have now rebranded and are called The Great Bromley Cross. We are more than a pub, offering the community outreach Post Office and Library services, a coffee shop and a recycling facility. We also host other community activities like the local Friendship Club, a “come and play” music club, a craft club, the WI darts team and twice-yearly village litter picks.

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