Pub with character and old-worldly charm in the heart of the Shropshire countryside

It can be a testing experience, with market pressures, rising and dropping customer numbers and long hours making it a job that can be wearing on the nerves after a while, but it can also be a rewarding experience for those who find the right pub.

One pub which has helped its landlord to rediscover his groove and feel happy in his work is the Old Gate Inn in Heathton, a hamlet on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border set in splendid isolation among the countryside north of Halfpenny Green.

The pub dates back to the 17th century and was originally a coaching inn, as well as having existed for a while as the Cricketers Arms, and still carries reminders of its coaching past inside the snug through the design of the room.

The current landlord Ben Boden said that horses were still visible being ridden into the car park and on the streets near the pub and said it had become a popular area for meetings and events.

He said: "We're in the middle of the country, so you end up seeing the odd horse walking into the car park, either to let the traffic pass or because the riders know someone in the garden, so we get the horsey crowd in and we also have a lot of car clubs come in as well.

"We've got a big tent up in the garden at the moment and will be taking parts of it down at the end of the month to open up the garden as the weather gets nicer.

"It's also helped us a lot in the winter as people have been able to sit in there because it's not a large pub inside and it means we can serve more people."

Mr Boden said he had taken over the running of the pub in October 2022 with his partner Sammy Law, taking it over from the previous incumbent who had been there for 35 years, and said he had reassured the previous owner that he would run it as a pub and it was in good hands.

He also spoke about what made the pub appeal to him and his team, describing it as a proper drinkers pub with a lot of character.

He said: "The Old Gate is just a proper pub which is oldie worldly and full of character and you only need a couple of people in the bar to create an atmosphere.

"The customers are very welcoming to everyone who come in and you won't have a situation where one person is sat at a table and one on another table as they'll be talking between themselves, so that atmosphere is just amazing and a credit to the pub.

"I always say that you have to listen to the customers and we try to make this place homely and welcoming, so it doesn't matter if they've got no money or are millionaires, they all sit together and chat, and there have been cases where people have got jobs out of this place.

"We're just one big family here."

As a freehold, the Old Gate Inn has more freedom in terms of what it can serve behind the bar, with Bathams Bitter, Hobsons Town Crier, Enville Ale and Enville Ginger and Wye Valley HPA permanent fixtures on tap and a range of guest ales on the sixth pump.

The pub also serves a fine range of wines from Tanners, as well as Carling, Coors and ABK Hells for lager, Thatchers Gold and Thatchers fusion for ciders and a good range of whisky and gin, including a Welsh Gin Mr Boden said was a popular choice at present.

For foodies, the Old Gate Inn serves traditional pub grub, with a range of sandwiches and cobs and a good selection of pork pies always on offer, as well as a Ploughman's lunch which had gotten a number of good reviews on TripAdvisor in 2024 and which Mr Boden said he was bringing back.

Mr Boden said the Old Gate Inn had revived his love for the industry and given him his groove back and said the pub wasn't a job, but part of his life.

He said: "I don't see it as a job as it's my home and my life and there have always been rumours about other pubs being on the market and we think that it might be nice to do that, but then I decide against it as we wouldn't be able to take our customers with us.

"It's just become a place which is welcoming to all and which I love running, so it's all very much my life."