Three more community pubs in North East after village…

Three more community pubs in North East after village completes £200k purchase

After a long day or week at work, many of us end up heading into the pub for a drink or two on our way home.

Not only a place to enjoy a pint, it's where we meet friends, catch-up and occasionally stay just that little bit too long. Since time immemorial, pubs have been at the heart of the community, even more so in rural villages.

However, it was revealed in December 2021 that the North East had the lowest number of pubs in the UK, with 37 closing their doors over the year. In recent years, many pubs may have called last orders for the final time - whether that's to have been converted for another use, such as accommodation, or to be demolished.

In Horncliffe, close to the border of England and Scotland, residents fought to keep their only pub as a community asset after fears that it would be 'carved up' and converted to accommodation. After raising more than £200,000 through selling shares in the pub, the keys were handed over last month meaning that the villagers can now start on refurbishments and getting the pub up and running.

And this isn't a first for the county. Here are three more pubs in Northumberland and the wider North East which are community-owned and offer a different experience to what you'd get in your average country boozer.

The Gun Inn, Ridsdale

The Gun Inn at Ridsdale has been community-owned since 2020 (Ridsdale Community Group)

There were plans to demolish the Gun Inn in 2020 in order to make room for housing, which would have left the hamlet on the A68 without a pub after it had already lost its post office, local shop, garage and village hall. However, residents stepped in to save the traditional country inn close to Northumberland National Park and their fundraising attempts were shared on social media by Vera author Ann Cleeves, after an episode of the popular detective show had been filmed there a few years earlier.

This and a mention of the pub's plight in a national newspaper saw more than £100,000 raised in one weekend with donations coming from all over the world: including countries as far flung as Canada, Taiwan and New Zealand. Coronavirus lockdowns made the Gun's first few months a little stop start, before running into 'a number of setbacks' while the pub was being redeveloped and having to launch a second crowdfunding campaign to raise £15,000 for renovations.

The successful crowdfund and renovations saw the Gun Inn open in May 2021. As well as a pub, there's a coffee shop open through the day from Monday to Saturday, a Quiz Night every Thursday and four en-suite rooms which offer bed and breakfast.

The Rose and Crown, Slaley

Residents of Slaley after they chipped in to buy their local pub the Rose and Crown in 2013 (Newcastle Journal)

The Rose and Crown in Slaley, five miles south of Hexham, became the first community owned pub in Northumberland in 2013 when villagers chipped in to buy the pub amid fears it would close. Though only £130,000 was required from selling shares, £282,000 was raised in total (with more than £20,000 of that coming in the first 24 hours).

The Grade II listed building dates back to 1675 and has a traditional bar, dining room and bed and breakfast rooms. Since the community takeover, the pub has been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and it was named as one of the fifty best pubs in Britain by the Guardian in 2018.

Ye Olde Cross, Ryton

Ye Olde Cross is thought to date back to the 1800s and residents of Ryton pulled together to save it after it closed in January 2018. An eventually successful effort raised more than £300,000 in total (with £150,000 of that coming from people buying shares) and included a fundraising concert featuring Royal Northern Sinfonia musicians and Blaydon MP Liz Twist highlighting the campaign in the House of Commons.

The pub now runs several community events including a regular quiz and open mic night, comedy networks and street food pop-ups. It has been given the Pub Saving Award by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which recognises communities who have rescued pubs from closure.

It's fair to say that Ye Olde Cross has been a success since it has been in community hands and in an article published by the Chronicle in February 2022, it was listed as the 10th best pub in the North East according to Google Reviews.

Have you visited any of Northumberland's community pubs? Let us know!

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