The Victoria Inn in Coupar Angus is not a gastropub. It’s not a wine bar. Or a cocktail bar. And it’s not one of those fancy real ale taprooms.
The Victoria Inn in Coupar Angus is what used to be called a working man’s pub.
And the new landlord says that’s the way it’s going to stay.
Raj Joshi has just taken over the reins of the Vic, on the town’s Gray Street, after the last tenant retired due to health.
It’s good news for regulars, who had feared their local might shut, or – and this was almost as scary – change.
And it’s good news for owner George McIntosh, who says his pub couldn’t be in safer hands.
It’s a big moment for Raj too.
The 57-year-old says the Victoria Inn is where he found his welcome when he moved to Coupar Angus two and a half years ago.
He’s from Dundee, but spent 30-odd years in London, much of it working as a manager in duty free at Gatwick Airport, before moving back to Scotland after the pandemic.
“I came in here one day and they took me in straight away,” said Raj.
“It’s been my local ever since.”
He hadn’t planned to run a pub in his semi-early-retirement. But George asked him if he fancied taking it on, and he realised he did.
Raj feels he owes it to the Vic and to his pals here to give it a go.
“There’s nowhere else like this left in the town,” he added.
“We’ve got to keep it going for the people who depend on it.”
Victoria Inn one of last survivors of Coupar Angus licensed trade
Raj says anyone who hasn’t visited the Vic for a while might notice a few subtle changes.
He’s stepped up the hygiene and cleanliness. He’s going to replace the carpet and the sign outside. And he’ll be putting on karaoke and quiz nights in the lounge.
But the pool table and dart board are staying. Prices are staying at £4 a pint and £3 a nip. And the Vic will continue to cater for its bread and butter clientele.
George, who ran the pub himself for many years and still stays above the shop, says the Victoria Inn is one of a dying breed of old-fashioned, no-frills watering holes.
He reels off the names of the pubs in the town when he came to Coupar Angus in the 1990s – “the Atholl, the Royal, the Mason’s, the Strathmore Arms…”
They’re all closed now. And only the Vic, and the more upmarket Red House Hotel remain.
“There’s still a place for pubs like this, if they’re properly run,” said George.
Vic remains yuppy-free
Ian Forsyth, 61, can be found at the bar most days.
“The Vic has always been my pub, he says.
“It’s a working man’s pub. It’s not been yuppified.
“There’s pubs shutting willy-nilly. We need to hold on to places like this.”
Retired telecoms engineer Andy Strike, 63, is another who says the Victoria Inn fills an important need in the Coupar Angus community.
“I come in every day for the craic and a couple of pints,” he said.
“If it wasn’t for this place, men like myself would have nowhere else to go.”
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