Watch: Oswestry pub which aims to be all things and welcome all for a pint and home-cooked meal

The Fox Inn in Oswestry is a familiar and iconic building set in the middle of the town and with nearly 500 years of history behind it.

Built in 1550, it was originally a house, then became a coaching inn with stables at the back of the building, some of the fixings of which are still present inside the pub today.

A Grade II Listed building, it was bought by Joule's Brewery in 2015 and underwent an extensive, but also sympathetic restoration which modernised large parts of the interior, but also kept the Tudor effect and medieval aspects of the pub.

Occupying a long, narrow, medieval burgage site, there are three inter-connected rooms, one of which has a log burning stove as its centrepiece. 

There are also low ceilings with exposed timber beams, pictures and memorabilia on the walls, a collection of miscellaneous bar furniture and tiled and boarded floors which give the pub a traditional and comfortable feeling.

It is currently managed and run by Mick Burton, who said he had been at the pub for eight years, having worked as a publican around the country for more than 30 years, and said the town was the nicest place he had ever been to.

He said: "I've lived all over England and Oswestry is the nicest place I've ever lived and, to be honest, I don't want to leave and will stay here when I retire.

"I came here because of Joule's Brewery, which owns the pub and asked me to come down and run the pub as it would suit me down to the ground as I'm really outgoing and really easy to get on with.

"That's the impression I got when I came here and the pub fits me nicely because it has a good age group of young people and the old wrinklies, which is great as I don't want this pub to be one thing, I wanted it to be something for everyone of all ages."

Mr Burton said the pub was somewhere you would get a warm welcome from whenever you come in, whether it was from him, his pub manager Rhianna, other members of staff of the locals who drink in the pub

Being a Joule's Brewery pub, the main drinks on the bar are all from the brewery's range, with the Pale Ale, Slumbering Monk and Pure Blonde all regulars on the bar.

Mr Burton said he was always looking at guest beers as well and said the pub was an affordable place for a pint.

He said: "The most popular one we have is the Pale Ale, then the Slumbering Monk and we do occasionally have guest beers on, mainly during the winter when we have beers like Old Number Six on.

"I'd like to have more beers on and work with Stonehouse, but we can also do whatever we want in terms of spirits.

"On average, a pint of bitter or ale will cost you about £3.40 a pint, while a lager like a Carling will cost you about £3.60 a pint."

Mr Burton said that while the pub was well-known as a place for a friendly pint, it was making a name for itself on the food it provided, with great value and fresh produce.

He said: "Everything we do is fresh, from the pies to the roasts we do, with spit roasted chicken and a ham hock which is to die for, and you can get a really decent meal for just £11.

"It's not a little meal and it's all hand-cooked, from the curries to the lasagnes to the liver and onions, which I think we are the only pub that does it properly, and it's all traditional food, nothing fancy.

"I like to say the only things we have that are frozen are our peas and the ice cream."

The pub is also notable for its evocative and eye-catching decorations, which change according to the season and events going on, including a full Halloween display and, over Remembrance weekend, a large display of poppies.

Mr Burton said the pub was his life and his love, saying: "All the people are my family and my friends and it's just a great pub that brings people together."