Brakspear chooses Cotswolds pub as second managed site

June 20, 2013

Pub operator and brewer Brakspear is to reopen the Royalist in Stow-on-the-Wold as its second managed site.

The Grade II listed pub with rooms was acquired by Brakspear last July and closed earlier this month for a major redevelopment. Brakspear plans to reopen the Royalist in September.

Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “We purchased the Royalist for its outstanding location and rich heritage and are looking forward to developing the site in a way that will maximise its potential.

“The decision to manage this site ourselves is a relatively recent one, inspired in large part by our experience at the Bull on Bell Street, the pub we opened in Henley-on-Thames in March.  The Bull is trading extremely well and we’ve learned a lot about how to successfully operate a managed pub alongside our tenanted sites.”

He added, “There is no master plan to grow our managed estate in terms of size or timescale and we are making decisions on a site by site basis.”

After purchasing the Royalist, Brakspear appointed an interim tenant to run the pub with its 14 rooms while assessing how best to operate the site in the longer term.

The Royalist is reputed to be England’s oldest inn, with parts of the building dating back to the 10th century.