The town centre pub with a good mix of customers - and a strong bond with staff

At the Bulls Head in Whitchurch, the landlord Pete Warburton believes his pub has become a place similar to the 1980s and 90s TV show about a bar in Boston.

The pub on Watergate Street in the town centre has become a popular place with local residents, with Mr Waterman saying the relationships between staff and customers have helped develop a bond with the community.

He says: "It's a local's pub and the customers and staff make the pub special, with some of the staff having been here for more than 40 years.

"They know everyone and they know the pub inside out and can remember the refurbishments, where the tiles were before, and they can remember the grandparents, brothers, sisters and grandchildren of people that come in.

"It's very much a locals pub and they look after the pub and ensure we've never had any trouble because everyone is friendly and everyone knows each other and if anyone has a problem, there's someone there to talk about it."

The Bulls Head has been a fixture within Whitchurch since 1640 and is a Grade II listed building which has been managed by Mr Warburton for 11 years.

He has been working in the care industry for years and wanted to make a change, so decided to take on running a pub instead.

He explains: "I was manager of a group of care homes and I could see it was getting more and difficult, so I decided to go into pubs as running a pub seemed a lot easier.

"I left the care industry and took over a pub in Ellesmere called the Market, then got offered the opportunity to run this pub in Whitchurch and took it on at the same time.

"I always thought it would be easier running a pub, which it is compared to care, but it does become a commitment you have to make and becomes part of your life, but you become part of the community and that links everything together."

The pub is known in the community for serving a wide range of draught beers, wines and spirits, with Greene King Abbot and Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold regulars on tap, while the pub is also well-known for its food, with the BBQ chicken melt a favourite, as are the home-made pies.

Mr Warburton says the pub was very wet-led, but does get a good crowd for its food as well.

"The people know what they like and they know the Bulls Head is a place which is not too expensive and you get good pub food alongside good beer.

"We find that we're about 55 per cent wet-led and about 45 per cent food, and it's a place where ladies can come on their own and younger people can come in and it's a nice mixed age group.

"The locals tell us what drinks they want and we but it in for them and we've started to get more tourists as Whitchurch has become a very touristy town, so we're getting plenty of German and Dutch people in who like a drink and like to admire the pub, as it's a bit old-worldly."

Mr Warburton says the influx of tourists has provided a welcome boost, with the beer garden a popular setting in the summer, and that it has helped the place return to its former glory after Covid.

He adds: "To be brutally honest, we are only now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and while it might be another 12 to 18 months, I can see a time when things will go fully back to normal.

"We're not in debt, but we will have more money to put back into the business to keep it going.

"For me, I love ales and lagers and I can be a connoisseur if I want to be, but I just like being around people, like when I was in the care industry, and I think everyone likes to be around people as it makes them feel better."