Shrewsbury's 'only Grade I listed' pub changes hands as it's bought by brewery

Market Drayton-based Joule's has agreed to buy Henry Tudor House - believed to be the only Grade I listed pub in the county - from owners Graham and Clare Jenkins.

Steve Nuttall, Joule's managing director, said: "We have a passion for old pubs, with more than half in our estate being listed buildings.

"Our style is to own old English inns because we just love old pubs."

Mr Nuttall said timbers at the pub in Barracks Passage, off Wyle Cop, have been dated at 1429, and is one of only a handful of Grade I listed pubs he knows about.

"When I go in there I have to try to put on a poker face because it is such a beautiful building and has such an historic atmosphere.

"Having a Grade I listed pub is a very rare thing. We have to be super sensitive with everything we do there and engage with Shropshire Council at every step. But as owners of many Grade I pubs we know them very well."

Mr Nuttall said Joule's was effectively interviewed for the venue by owners Graham and Clare Jenkins who wanted to see the venue brought by independent operators. The purchase price has not been revealed.

Graham who had an earlier career in the utility industries and Clare, with architects RIBA, bought the Old Lion Tap in 2011 and embarked on a 12-month project of restoration, renovation, and redesign, supported by the Conservation Team at Shropshire Council, reopening in November 2012 under the new brand of Henry Tudor House, to acknowledge the royal history of this iconic building.

Graham said: "Once we took the difficult decision to seek retirement after 10 fantastic years, the challenge was to find a new owner for our beloved building. Someone who shared our values and beliefs of the business and its team.”

And Clare added: “After only our first meeting with the management team from Joules, Graham and I both knew they were our first choice, an enthusiastic family-led business who spoke passionately about their own journey and HTH’s reputation and heritage.”

Over the coming months, Graham, Clare, and the team from HTH will be working closely with the Joules’ management as together they write the next chapter in Henry Tudor House's story. The team members will be TUPE'd over to their new owners with no redundancies, Mr Nuttall said.

Anna Brakel, Joule's operations manager, said: "As a local Shropshire brewery based just a stone’s throw away from the county town in nearby Market Drayton, we are thrilled to announce the addition of our latest Taphouse, Henry Tudor House on Wyle Cop.

"It has always been a goal for us to have a taphouse in the centre of Shrewsbury, we really wanted a flagship in the heart of our county town to showcase our beers, this is our first choice building and Wyle Cop is just right for us.

"As an independent Shropshire brewer, it’s the part of town where we feel most at home with other like-minded small businesses and we hope we can keep up with their flair. It’s also really nice to be neighbours with Tanners who we have dealt with for over 20 years."

Joule’s beer is brewed with Shropshire mineral water and is drawn from a local aquifer, naturally filtered through sandstone and bunter pebbles. Joule’s already has a presence around the centre of Shrewsbury with Taps nearby, The Bricklayers Arms, Copthorne, The Dolphin in St Michael's Street, and The White Horse opposite shire hall which is currently being refurbished.

Mr Brakel added: "Our whole team is very proud that it will be a part of our estate and we want it to be the best that it can be, we are looking forward to working with Graham, Clare, and their team, continuing the ongoing success of HTH."

And excitingly brewery is now starting the process of recruiting a franchisee to run the historic pub.

Candidates can email rachel@joulesbrewery.co.uk if they have a passion for music, food and great customer service, said Mr Nuttall.

Joules is yet to outline its plans for the building.

Jack Nuttall, Joule’s project manager said: "It’s essential to us that we get this right. We are going to take our time in crafting Henry Tudor House into a Joule’s Taphouse, the work completed 10 years ago is outstanding and we greatly admire Clare and Graham’s vision, design, attention to detail, and focus on quality.

"In many ways it already has the feel of one of our taps using natural materials, soft and complementary colours which creates a warm and convivial space, it has terrific charisma and is innately sociable, we absolutely love it and our goal is to retain that charm and character.

"I especially like the way they have created hand-crafted contemporary oak panels which work brilliantly in a 15th-century pub, effortless and classic, it really is an outstanding design amongst the best I have seen.

"We have pencilled in next January and February to do some work, they will not be extensive at all, just a gentle repositioning as a Taphouse. Before we make any changes we first need to listen to the team and customers and we will take it from there."

But Mr Nuttall added that they would be looking to keep Graham's passion for music, which has seen some national names perform at the venue.