'New life' breathed into two pubs after revamp

4 hours ago

Genevieve Tudor,in Newportand

Bridie Adams,West Midlands

News image — Brothers Peter and Steve Preston run the Bridge Inn in Newport

BBC Two men with brown hair and facial hair stand behind pub bar taps with bottles on shelves behind them. — Brothers Peter and Steve Preston run the Bridge Inn in Newport

Two Shropshire pubs have reopened after they were both closed for about two years.

The Three Fishes in Bayston Hill was badly damaged when a lorry crashed into it in November 2024, while the Grade II-listed Bridge Inn in Newport reopened on Thursday after an "extensive" refurbishment.

Owned by Black Country Ales, The Three Fishes has undergone a two-year restoration programme, while local family business Rowton Brewery bought the Bridge Inn 18 months ago.

Steve Preston, who co-owns Rowton Brewery with his brother Peter, said: "It's all about bringing these old pubs back, bringing some life back into these old pubs."

The family submitted an application to Telford & Wrekin Council last year detailing planned repairs to the roof and chimney that were described as "essential to safeguard the building's historic fabric".

The renovations also included restoring its traditional black-and-white exterior and adding a new sign, front lobby and timber booths with leather seats.

A former stable has been converted into a dining room and kitchen with a "lovely vaulted ceiling", Steve said.

The pub will serve real ale and traditional cider on tap.

Rowton Brewery, which operates five pubs across Shropshire, was founded in 2008 by ex-farmer Jim Preston, and began as a micro-brewery in a cattle shed on the family farm.

Now owned by his sons, the business's owners believe that renovating the pub, established in 1747, was "money well spent".

Steve said: "Every pub saved is a benefit," he added.

"At the end of the day, a pub is a pub, but it's an experience, isn't it? [People] want to be able to come in and be welcome and ultimately enjoy themselves," said Steve.

Jim's wife Sue said she had transformed the beer garden and wanted it to be "a lovely little oasis in the middle of Newport".

A man with grey hair and short facial hair wearing a blue polo shirt and sunglasses stands on the left next to two younger men, both with brown hair and facial hair. One is wearing a white T-shirt and a watch and has his arm around the man to his left. The man to his right is wearing glasses and a black polo shirt. There is a woman to his right with shoulder-length brown hair and a fringe, wearing a black and white striped T-shirt and sunglasses on her head. They are stood in front of a stone wall. — The Preston family own Rowton Brewery and its five pubs

Meanwhile, the Three Fishes in Bayston Hill has been almost completely rebuilt after it was hit by a lorry in 2024.

Black Country Ales, which bought the pub shortly before the crash, had to demolish parts of the building and start from scratch.

Repairs had been delayed until this year because of an insurance claim. It now has a larger bar and cellar and accommodation upstairs.

A back half of a yellow painted pub is reduced to rubble. The roof is still attached but there is no rear wall for it to attach to. The front of the building is still standing. — The Three Fishes pub suffered catastrophic damage in November 2024 when it was struck by a lorry

Rob Gazzard, area manager for the brewery, said returning regulars would find that the pub looked "very different" from its former self. He also hoped the transformation would prompt more punters to discover it for the first time.

"You get people from age 18 to 80 in [pubs], and from every walk of life possible, and it's what makes pubs great isn't it? It's a proper melting pot of the local community," he said. "I'm very very pleased to see it opening."

He added that the pub would serve "a good selection of ales", as well as snacks like cobs, sausage rolls and pork pies.