Joy as 600-year-old restored Shropshire pub reopens
A 600-year-old pub dubbed the oldest in Shropshire has reopened its doors after being closed for two years.
The Three Horseshoes in Alveley, near Bridgnorth, is reputed to be the oldest licensed premises in the county - with records dating back to 1406.
Now, the watering hole is back serving pints after opening to the public in August.
'The Shoes' was purchased by new owners Richard Piggin, aged 45, and Russell Dowson, 50, from Derbyshire in December 2016 and has been carefully restored to a village pub.
It is the pair's first pub after previously working in the industry in other pubs and breweries.
Mr Dowson said: "We've moved across from Derbyshire. We were looking for pubs and this one came up.
"It works similarly to buying a house. We put an offer in and it got knocked back. It looked like we lost it and three months down the road the agent called us back.
"We were looking for a home and a business and it ticked all the boxes. There's some great views out the back and you can hear the steam engines. There's a nice vibe about the village and it's great to help save an old building from a business point of view."
The building became grade II listed in 1974 and has seen a number of changes over years but continued to serve the community.
Locals were concerned the doors would never reopen, with rumours of houses being built on the site.
But after searching for a pub for years, the new owners took on the challenge of recreating a great meeting place.
"It's been great so far, he added. "The local community thought it wasn't going to get reopened as a pub and it's been really well received.
"The feedback on Facebook has been really good – one of the nicest complements was 'it's been shut nine months but nothing's changed'.
"Although it doesn't look a lot different, a lot of work has been done!
"We believe it's the oldest pub in Shropshire. It's the oldest licensed pub and dates back to 1406. There's an argument whether it's a pub or an inn. It creates quite a nice discussion point in the nice way."
Currently, only the bar is open, with the restaurant to open in late October. A range of real ales, lager and wide selection of gins are on offer.
For more information on The Three Horseshoes go to thethreehorseshoesalveley.co.uk
