'End of the road' as popular Wigan cafe and bar closes its doors

Lily and Arthur’s, on Mesnes Road, Swinley, was due to reopen on Monday after a week’s closure due to staff holidays.

But instead a post was published on its Facebook page announcing it was “the end of the road” for the restaurant.

It said: “It is with the saddest of hearts and much deliberation we have made the difficult decision to close our doors at Lily & Arthur’s. It’s been a challenging time for our industry as a whole over the past few years and unfortunately there are a number of factors beyond our control that have led to us having to say goodbye to the community we have built here.

"We want to thank you, our loyal customers, who have supported us over the past nine-and-a-half years; what a pleasure it has been – we have loved every minute of serving and getting to know you and your families. We have made so many memories here and we are grateful for all your support.

"One last thing, wherever you can – please support your local independent businesses over the big chains, you don’t know how much they need you!”

The closure comes less than a week after The Courtyard Bistro in Lowton announced its doors were closing “with immediate effect”.

Lily & Arthur’s was opened in 2014 by siblings Alex and Matt Fisher, with the name inspired by their grandparents Lily and Arthur Fisher.

Matt had previously worked as a chef and Alex ran her own cake company from home, named Truly Scrumptious.

It was originally a cafe, before securing a licence to also serve alcohol.

Just a year after it opened, Lily & Arthur’s was named among the 100 enterprises in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday – the UK’s dedicated day for small businesses – and Alex spoke about how she and Matt were “big believers” in supporting small, local businesses.

The cafe was honoured with a VisitEngland Taste Accreditation Highest Quality Assured rating for its outstanding food quality and service in the same year.