Tributes paid after death of Mount Pleasant Inn landlord

Mike Morris, landlord of The Mount Pleasant Inn in London Road and former landlord of many other city pubs, died on Saturday aged 67.

He was a man acclaimed for having stories that would go down in history and had watched generations of families walk through his doors.

ONE OF A KIND: Mike Morris with David Abraham (Image: David Abraham) Mr Morris previously owned pubs such as the Talbot in The Tything, Five Ways in Angel Place, and the Ferry Inn in Symonds Yat. 

David Abraham, a friend and colleague, said: "Mike was one of a kind.

"Although he seemed grumpy and bad-tempered, it was just an act as he was not fond of new customers.

"He loved his regulars and would loyally serve you a pint but no crisps as this took way too long.

Mike was well-known across the city. (Image: David Abraham) "He preferred damp logs as they took longer to burn.

"His stories went down in history, and any stories we had were always surpassed."

He added that Mr Morris' friends, Mick Jay and Jenny Ward, had argued that his stories always had a slight embellishment but were very much true. 

The pub's staff, Christine Hinton, Ken Davies, Mike Morris, and Abbey Middleton, said that Mr Morris became their family inside and outside the watering hole. 

In some cases, Mr Morris had seen customers grow from being small children to pouring their first pint when they reached 18. 

MISSED: Mike Morris (Image: David Abraham) However, Mr Morris's skills were not limited to pouring pints.

Mr Morris was also known as a "fantastic" artist and had previously worked at Worcester Porcelain.

Mr Abraham added: "I would like to thank everyone who rallied around Mike during Covid days and during his cancer battle, especially Craig and Sarah Johns and Andrea and Maria Musio.

"True friends till the very end.

"Mike was one of my best friends but also family.

"The Mount Pleasant was a home from home and as the song says, you want to go where everybody knows your name."