Campaigners fighting for future of rundown Georgian manor house told 'no' by pub chain
A community group is fighting to have a Georgian manor house in south Shropshire that has fallen into an "embarrassing" state of disrepair brought back to life.
The Save The Manor House group in Cleobury Mortimer were so eager to save the rundown historic house, they asked pub operator Wetherspoon if it would be interested in taking it over.
But Nigel Reid of the campaign group, which formed in 2020, says they were told directly by the company boss Tim Martin that Wetherspoon was not interested. The firm has a track record of preserving old historic buildings.
Mr Reid, of the heritage group that has around 180 subscribers, said: "We wrote to Tim Martin and got a reply saying that they have had a look at it and it does not suit the company portfolio."
Mr Reid says he is acting out of sheer frustration in contacting the media about the issue because not enough is being done.
The group is campaigning in the "hope that someone somewhere might have sufficient interest - and, in fairness, deep pockets - to buy the house and restore it to former glory.
"It is behind steel gates and the external paintwork is in a pretty bad way. The paint is peeling off the front door and the sills are mucky," he said.
