Listed Ludlow pub set to reopen after revamp

The Grade-II listed Rose and Crown will make a welcome return to trading in Church Street on July 18, after closing its doors in December.

The pub has been overhauled by owners Joule's Brewery, and will now be run by publicans Gary Seymour and Karlos Keber-Smith.

It closed amid some acrimony as former tenant landlord Paul Kemp, then Ludlow's deputy mayor, left what he said was a thriving business after he said there were too many uncertainties about the pub's future.

Joule's Brewery bought the ancient timber-framed pub in Church Street in 2013 and began the restoration following Mr Kemp's departure.

Concerns had also been raised about the effect on Ludlow's high street of the months-long closure of one of the town's traditional public houses and eateries.

This was further compounded by the closure of the Church Inn, just doors down from the Rose and Crown, in April, which is still undergoing a change in management.

However, Vicky Shirley, retail marketing co-ordinator for the Market Drayton-based Joule's Brewery, said the restoration had so far received an "overwhelming" response from the community, and had seen a "significant investment".

She said: "We are very excited to reveal the new restoration to our Ludlow locals, especially our 'mouse bar'.

"That showcases the work of Robert Thompson, born in 1876, who dedicated his life to the craft of carving and joinery in English oak.

"These beautiful mouseman pieces have created a fully 'reclaimed' bar, the whole of which is made up of recycled timbers and wooden panels adorned with his famous signature, the mouse.

"Now twinned with the 'mouse room' at The Brewery in Market Drayton, you can challenge yourself to discover seven mice and one beaver at The Rose and Crown, Ludlow."

She said Joule's also commissioned an array of traditional stained glass windows for The Rose and Crown's restoration, created bespoke by craftsman Paul Georgiou.

Steve Nuttall, Joule's managing director, said: "We're proud to have many craftsmen who contribute to all our pubs and have such joy in their work.

"Our projects are very much a group effort.

"We don't have any designers, each of our tradesmen put their own ideas into the work they do, and I hope people will see the care and research that has been taken and gone into this refurbishment."

Landlord-to-be Gary Seymour said: "Being in the pub trade myself and having lived in Ludlow for a good number of years, I've always thought that if there was one pub in town I'd like to run it would be The Rose and Crown.

"It has been a delight to witness the work that has been carried out by Joule's.

"It has not only been sympathetically restored to its former glory but vastly improved, which has enhanced the building."

The pub will be serving Joule's Brewery range of ales, two guest ales, craft lager, wine and spirits, alongside home-cooked pub food using locally-sourced produce.