Category Archives: Cherington Arms

The Cherington (Arms) – The Latest!

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The Latest News on Progress From Martin Craddock

‘A more upbeat update this time…

I have now submitted several Planning Applications and, by early April, hope to have permission to tidy up the garden and carry on pointing the outside of the pub.

Meanwhile, we are continuing with the interior decoration and, as soon as the garden is ‘rejuvenated’, we are hoping to have the pub open again. We are aiming for mid-May which is ambitious, but achievable, if all goes well.

Phase 1 will then be complete with Phase 2 following at the end of the year as that requires a more complicated planning application which I hope to submit shortly.

And there’s more good news….

The lease will be taken on by Jack McEntee who owns The Happy Wolf Pub Company and who already has two pubs – ‘The Peacock’ at Oxhill and ‘The Yew Tree’ at Avon Dassett. Both pubs are thriving and Jack’s really excited about the potential for his third pub – ‘The Cherington’. And yes, you spotted it, we’ve changed the name (but don’t worry, it’ll grow on you).

So, we’re now all working hard to try and have everything finished by mid-May and, from that point, Jack will be totally and independently responsible for running the business and I will simply be the owner of the building. By then, and in other words, “I’m out”.

There will be a new General Manager and Chef, as well as three or four other permanent staff so I hope you’ll join me in wishing the new team at ‘The Cherington’ every success.

And last but not least, Jack is already working on the new website, Facebook and Instagram pages etc and all future updates will be posted there. See below.

Bye for now….’

Martin Craddock
3 March 2024

Instagram – @Thecherington
Facebook – The Cherington
Website (due to be launched in the next week) – www.thecherington.co.uk

The Cherington Arms – An Update

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An Update on Progress at the Cherington Arms from Martin Craddock.

‘I thought I should let you know how things are going with our pub. The short answer is, not well. It’s going to take longer than I thought and the consultation delays and costs mean it’s going to be significantly more than I budgeted. But the pub will re-open.

I appointed builders in November and they started work around 1 December and they’re doing a really good job…at least they were.

A few weeks in, Stratford District Council told me that someone had seen the scaffolding going up and had called them. As a result, their Enforcement Officer got involved and required any structural work to stop immediately because the pub is Grade 2 listed. Of course, it’s up to me to know that, and I did, but I wrongly assumed because only the pub at the front of the property is listed, that we could tidy up the rear garden and improve the restaurant & cottage at the rear – basically all the eyesores!

I have now learned that, because the pub is listed, everything (including the eyesores) within the curtilage of the property, which also extends to the car park, is listed. This means, for example, that we can’t replace any fencing in the garden or move the LPG tank further back and out of the line of sight. Basically, we can’t touch anything. What we can do is to repair and redecorate.

I also have to appoint a specialist conservation architect, produce full structural drawings and provide various reports and surveys which will add around £25,000 to the costs. That hurts. But my best estimate, when I add in all the consultation delays, is that it will take around seven months to obtain the relevant permissions and this will significantly delay the re-opening of the pub.

I’ll work with my various advisors and we’ll do the best we can to get the pub open again in some form while we wait for Stratford DC to issue the relevant permissions.’

Martin Craddock
19 January

Pop Up Pub Next Friday October 27th

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As you are aware, while the Cherington Arms is being renovated (see post) there will be ‘pop up pub’ nights at various locations in the village.

The next one is due to take place in The Hall from 18.00 on Friday October 27th.

Thereafter they will be hosted by various villagers on the second Friday of the month and at The Hall every last Friday.

For the full schedule of dates and venues see Pop Up Pub Nights.

Village Pop-up Pub Nights

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Missing the social buzz of the pub and catching up with friends and neighbours?

Good news is that while the pub is closed there will be pop-up pubs on the second and last Friday of each month.

Starting next Friday 29th September, the bar in The Hall will open at 6.00pm on the last Friday of the month.

The second Friday of each month will be hosted at various houses around the villages. Please bring your own drinks and glasses.

On Friday 13th October, it will be hosted by Roger and Liz Maycock at The Forge, Stourton, from 6.00 – 8.00pm.

We will keep you updated as to future venues and timings.

The Cherington Arms is saved….

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Great news for the village. Although the pub closed last week, it is hoped it will reopen in a few months time.

See message from Martin Craddock below.

Keep watching this space for further updates.

“There has been speculation for a while now about the viability and future of the Cherington Arms so I just wanted to let you know that I am in the process of buying it in order to preserve it as a village pub and prevent it being converted for residential use. That is my sole objective.

As I’m sure you know, the pub has been losing money and is in a very sorry state behind the scenes. This means that a significant investment is required simply to make it safe and comfortable for tenants to live in. I’m going to call that ‘Phase 1’ because I believe that it would be impossible to attract new tenants in its current condition. Therefore, unfortunately, it will have to stay closed until the work can be completed and new tenants found, although I’m hopeful that this will take less than six months.

After that, the pub would require a further and much larger sum to improve it and make it attractive and that may be a case of throwing good money after bad. You don’t need me to tell you that these are tough times for pubs. Over 150 were shut down in England and Wales in the first three months of 2023 and, in 2022, 386 pubs were lost for good (figures from the British Beer and Pub Association). So, while my aim is to complete Phase 1 and secure good tenants I really can’t speculate at this point as to whether there will be a ‘Phase 2’. But at least we will still have a village pub.

I aim to provide regular updates over the coming months to keep you up to date about how it’s going.”

Martin Craddock

Anybody got a spare £500,000 to save our pub?

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On the market for a cool half million – see here for details.