New lease of life for Oswestry's 'oldest pub'
One of the oldest pubs in Oswestry has been reopened and is being re-branded as a live music venue.
The Bell Inn in Oswestry, believed to be the oldest pub in the town, was closed in January when the landlady left and the company that owned the pub struggled to find new landlords.
Star Pubs and Bars said in March it was actively looking for people to take on the lease, and now it has found someone.
A new leaseholder has come in, and Steve Banks and Dean Edge have taken over the old inn.
The pair opened the pub last week, and have had a steady stream of customers come in as locals learn one of the features of Oswestry's pubs scene is back open.
Previously known as a sports pub, the new landlords have dropped Sky Sports due to high prices, and are making the pub into a live music venue.
They also want to appeal to the LGBT community, and are looking to have drag acts on.
Karaoke
Mr Edge explained: "We only opened recently and are looking to market the pub as a live music venue now.
"We have karaoke on Sunday and Friday evenings, and want to appeal to the LGBT community by having drag acts on.
"It needed a lot of work doing to the inside as it had sat empty for a long time.
"People are starting to learn it is back open now and we have a lot of things planned in terms of live music."
The pub was previously run by former Shrewsbury Town football Carleton Leonard, before a refurbishment turned it into a pub/restaurant.
The pub was known as a sports venue, but Mr Edge explained prices to show live football have soared.
He added: "The prices Sky wanted were an absolute rip off, so we are looking to turn it into a music venue."
