Britain’s grumpiest pub owner makes Prince Harry serve himself
Meet Britain’s grumpiest pub owner, who offers no welcome or wifi and makes all customers — including Prince Harry — serve themselves.
He also has a “hostile” cat — named Hitler.
Steve Cotten, 59, runs the Poltimore Arms in a remote part of Devon in the UK. He “saved” the historic 13th-century pub seven years ago, and for a long time says he was perfectly happy drinking alone every night.
“Everyone around me said it was a bad idea and I shouldn’t touch it, but I thought that’s even more reason to give it a go,” he tells SWNS. “Most pubs are closing as they try and turn into restaurants and have electricity on 24 hours a day.”
His off-the-grid (“I can live without electricity”) boozer has no phone, credit card machine or television but has become a favorite among royals and celebrities who frequent the area during hunting season.
“I had no customers at the beginning. It was fantastic and I sat by the fire every night getting drunk,” he says. ”Then people started coming in. I never told anyone I was open. I said to the first one, ‘What do you want?’ But they kept coming.”
Among the clientele are artists such as Damien Hirst, film producers, billionaires, royalty, Formula 1 stars and business heavyweights.
“Prince Harry was a really nice chap,” he says. “He used to come in with his friends before he ran off with Meghan Markle and I would make them pour their own drinks.”
Steve said it doesn’t matter who comes through the doors — he is equally rude to all.
“Everyone knows there is only one rule in the pub and that is everyone is equal,” he says. “They all love it, though. No one else talks to them like crap like I do. Everyone pours their own drinks and I often get them to work behind the bar.”
After a career in precision engineering, Steve admits he had no idea how to run a bar. Still, his brash and unorthodox manner created a buzz and the crowds kept coming back.
He models himself on famous outlaw Dick Turpin, as he travels on horseback and often sports full attire including jacket, hat and gun.
Inside the pub itself there are several rooms adorned with bizarre decor including multiple pianos and a dead ferret stuck to the wall.
Despite all the well-known faces that have graced the pub over the years, Steve says there is only one genuine star — his cat Frederick Albert Hitler.
All visitors are also greeted by the resident ginger tabby, who Steve adopted after requesting the “nastiest” cat they had at the local rescue.
“He was feral and totally insane. He would rip me to shreds every night and attack anything that moved but has calmed down over the years,” Steve says of his popular pet, who now has his own Facebook page. “He is fine with customers now but still scares off a lot of the dogs.”
Poltimore Arms has no set prices — Steve takes whatever customers offer — which can result in regulars building a huge tab, to returning customers coming back to settle up a bill years later.
Steve maintains he has never made any money from his venture — but admits he’s been raided six times by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the UK department responsible for the collection of taxes.
“I was declared bankrupt as they thought I owed about £300k (about $388,000 USD),” he says. “But I had no money and was already pretty much bankrupt so it didn’t make much difference to me. I never had any ambition to run a pub. I was categorically the most useless landlord in the world and I still am.”
