Unless you are looking for a renovation challenge, it is unlikely you would have given this run-down 17th-century pub a second glance. For Alastair Humphries, however, it was perfect.
He and his partner Carlo had been about to relocate to the US, but a change of plan saw them house-hunting in Dorset, and there were two large factors to take into account in their search: their Weimaraners Guthrie and Billy. ‘We wanted to rent somewhere before buying but we couldn’t find anywhere that allowed two big dogs,’ says Alastair. ‘Then we heard about the old coaching inn in Shaftesbury.’
