The south Shropshire pub that's given its landlord a new purpose and walkers a real ale haven

This part of the county also offers a fine range of pubs, inside its charming towns and further out in the countryside.

One of the most storied is The Stables in Craven Arms, built in Dale Street in 1988 opposite what used to be the town auction yard. After living a number of different lives as a bookmakers, chip shop and Indian restaurant, it been a popular pub for about four years.

It is a notable structure, clad in white brick and black tiling, and is run by Tony David, who took it over four years ago despite being retired after having been a regular in the past and having run the Apple Tree at Onibury in the past.

He said: “I used to come on here and play dominoes and it was a nice village pub then and the owner put it up for sale, so I put in an offer which he wouldn’t have, then it went under auction and I was able to buy it.

“I did change it a bit as it had been the Indian restaurant and the owner at the time didn’t want to turn it back into a pub, then I also bought the hairdressers next door and we built that into the pub as a closed area so that people could have a place to eat if they want to.”

The pub has kept most of the fittings from its days as an Indian restaurant, such as the bench seating along the entire front wall opposite the bar, and is a single-room pub with the bar running nearly the length of the pub.

It also has contemporary furnishing and decorations inside, as well as a wood-burning stove at one end of the room and a pool table at the other end, providing something for everyone.

Mr David, who is 75, said The Stables’s location in the heart of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape helped it greatly, being in the right place for locals, drivers and walkers.

He said: “We get a lot of walkers in and we’ve got the benches outside that they can use, as well as a little room for them, as well as things like the Women’s Institute meetings and that sort of thing.

“The walkers come in and they can make themselves comfortable which, if they stay for a while, means they can enjoy a few drinks and that’s good for us.

“We seem to do better sometimes than the other pubs in the town for that sort of trade as well.”

The Stables is also a freehold, which Mr David said gave him a lot more freedom in terms of the drinks he wanted to put on, with three real ale hand pulls always on and Butty Bach and Ludlow Gold being firm favourites.

The pubs also has a good selection of other drinks on, with Robinsons cider, Carling, Staropramen and Guinness all favourites, plus at least 24 different gins and other spirits on offer from the different distilleries in the area.

Foodwise, the Stables offers pub snacks such as Scotch eggs, ham rolls and cheese rolls and, at the weekend, more of a hot selection with burgers and pork rolls.

Mr David said he played up to the image of the miserable landlord at times, telling people that played up that they weren’t welcome again, but said that he loved the pub and felt it had given him a new purpose in retirement.

He said: “I’m retired and when I bought it, I don’t think a lot of people thought I would be devoted to it and it might close down, but it’s been a good thing for me and my life.

“A lot of people appreciate how I run the place because I’m not a big head and I don’t need the money as I’m comfortable, but it keeps my mind active and it keeps me doing something, so it’s invaluable to me.”