Historic pub bought by county brewery
The future of one of Shropshire's oldest pubs has been secured after it was bought by the owners of a county brewery, it has been revealed.
The Sun Inn in Clun, which dates from the 15th century, has been bought by bosses at the Three Tuns Brewery based in Bishop's Castle from owner Marstons.
It comes after Marstons sold off several pubs in Shropshire as part of a 200-pub sale to New River Retail, a company which specialises in changing pubs into retail outlets. The move had sparked fears the Sun Inn could be sold off or closed.
The pub is steeped in history and has on its bar a rare set of three "Molly Lane Cash Register" hand pulls. They are believed to come originally from the Cock Inn in Fleet Street, where Charles Dickens did his apprenticeship.
John Russell, managing director of the Three Tuns Brewery, said: "I hope this move will reassure people that The Sun Inn, a much-loved Shropshire gem, is now in sympathetic hands.
"We know the Sun well and it is our kind of pub – old and crammed full of character. We believe it will benefit from being in the hands of a local brewery which is tied into the area.
"We will take our time, have a good look at the place and get a good sense of what needs to be done. We will invest where and when it is appropriate and will strive to give the Sun Inn the lift it has been craving for for some years.
"One thing we won't be doing is changing is the character of the pub, we like that just the way it is."
No details of the cost of the deal have been released.
Mr Russell said the Three Tuns Brewery team had established a reputation over the last 10 years for saving historic buildings, investing in them and rejuvenating failing businesses.
He said the brewery itself was thoroughly restored to its former glory and a state-of-the art brewing system installed within its old walls as part of a decade-long development programme, after the brewery buildings were threatened with conversion into housing in 2002. A £1 million budget was allocated for the project.
The brewery bought the Bridges at Ratlinghope, near Church Stretton, earlier this year and is undertaking a three-phase development of the site.
