Historic Shropshire pub is named wedding venue of year

Ye Olde Punch Bowl Inn, in Bridgnorth, has been named West Midlands Wedding Venue of The Year.

It has also been nominated by top travel guide for a national award to add its Best Free House Pub Regional Award, which the venue picked up in the summer.

The wedding award, by Your Wedding Planner Magazine, highlighted the pub's excellent facilities, including its popular Ludlow Suite, and the professionalism of the team.

It was closely followed by a nomination by top Travel Guide Les Routier, which highlighted the venue as one of the best inns in the UK based on customer service, quality of food, standard of accommodation, performance, feed-back from customers and subscribers.

Owner Adam Giles said: "This has been an amazing year for the Ye Olde Punch Bowl Inn, our team and our customers.

"We have so much going on in the coming months with our record breaking Christmas bookings, and our refit due in January.

"We will also be teaming up with a prestigious national brand in the near future, so it's all very exciting."

The pub, which was first licensed in 1740, has also launched an appeal for old images of the venue to form part of its refurbishment plans in January. It was originally used as a place to provide shelter, food and drink for travellers from all over the UK.

The pub was also used as a toll house when Bridgnorth's original town courthouse, which is now a house, was situated opposite the pub.

Mr Giles said: "As part of our forthcoming renovation we are keen to gather as much historic information as possible from locals, from photos taken in the 1800s, if any remain, through to the 1900s.

"We have one dating back to around 1960 but there must be earlier ones surviving, even if they're sketches and paintings."

Anyone with photos or documents relating to the Punch Bowl are asked to call (01746) 763304 or visit www.punchbowlinn.com