We visited an historic north Shropshire pub given new life by its landlady and full of character

A pub is a place which can become part of a person, rather than just a place they go to drink and socialise in.

For the people who frequent them, spend their time and money in them and, in some cases, actually begin working in them, a pub becomes something that can become their life.

One pub in the market town of Wem which has become a part of its landlady’s life over the years is the Warbling Tit, a pub set on the corner of a Grade II-listed building from the 1800s on the High Street.

Lesley Hornby said she had had an association with the pub going back four years to when she first started working there when it reopened as the Warbling Tit and had jumped at the chance of being able to take it over.

She said: “I started working here when it first opened and I’ve kept on working here since as I love working here and I love the customers.

“I took over the actual running of it in January as the owner at the time was looking to get rid of it and came to me one day and asked if I’d be interested in buying it off him, to which I said ‘Oh my god, yes’.

“I found that I know my customers and I know what they want and, at the time, he wasn’t giving them what they wanted, so I think since I’ve taken over, the pub’s had a real uplift.”

Ms Hornby said the pub name did catch the eye of a lot of people, as did its location on the corner opposite the church.

She said she still felt like just a member of staff, rather than the manager of the pub, and said it was still a place she loved working as she spent every day of the week there.

She said anyone walking in could expect a cosy interior, saying it was like someone’s front room and with friendly faces and lots of chatter.

There is also a wall inside the pub full of photos of famous Wemmers (people from Wem), including comedian and TV presenter Greg Davies and actor Peter Vaughan (famed as Grouty from Porridge).

Ms Hornby said the Warbling Tit was a freehold, but she got most of her beer from Greene King, and said that the pub had two standard ales that were extremely popular.

She said: “I was going to change them every so often, but we’ve always got Old Speckled Hen and Old Session Hen, which get drunk as soon as they go on the hand pulls and so I keep ordering them because everyone likes them.

“We do sometimes have beers from Salopian on as well, as well as New Brew, a brewery from Tilstock, plus we have ciders like Inches, Stowford Press and Weston Berries.

“For lagers, we have a house lager called The Tit House Lager, as well as Peroni and Estrella, and we have all the gins, including plenty of flavoured ones, plus vodkas.”

The pub also does food, with a small menu during the week including homemade lasagnes and chilli and burgers, plus a very popular Sunday Roast each week.

It has become a hub for music as well, with live entertainment every Saturday, and also features events, such as a Eurovision party, quiz nights and numerous charity events.

Ms Hornby said the Warbling Tit had become a huge part of her life in the four years she had been there and said the only change to her role had been more paperwork.

She said: “I really do love the place as it is my life and it’s like having another family.”