Bear Hotel changes hands

A spokeswoman for Greene King, Laura Mitchell, said: Old English Inns are historic hotels, inns and pubs in England, each one individual and unique.
“We are very proud to be the new owners of the Bear Hotel, which has a great reputation and enormous character and heritage. The change of hands should not affect staff or customers and we are looking forward to welcoming customers old and new into this new chapter for the Bear.”
Business unit director for Old English Inns, Peter Hebblethwaite, said: “We do have plans to invest in the hotel later in the year. We are looking to improve the reception area and restaurant and to make the bar a more welcoming space for our guests.
“Any changes will be sympathetic to the hotel's historic character and designed to enhance both our guests' visit and the already great reputation the hotel enjoys.”
He added: “We encourage our customers to visit other Old English Inns such as the Castle and Ball in Marlborough, which recently had a major refurbishment.
“While the planned changes at the Bear will not be exactly the same, they will be able to get a feel for the high standard we employ when we refurbish our hotels.”
The Bear Hotel is one of the oldest and most historic Inns in England and is reputed to date back to the 13th Century.
Its name and fine sign derive from the famous “Bear and Ragged Staff” badge of the Earls of Warwick, owners of the Manor of Chilton Foliat in the
It is recorded that in 1537 Robert Braybon, landlord, gave evidence against three highwaymen who had stayed at the Inn and were accused of robbing a merchant between Bagshot and Windsor.
Three years later Henry VIII gave the hostelry to Queen Anne of Cleves and later to Queen Katherine Parr who survived him.
During the Civil Wars, Hungerford was embroiled in the fighting and in 1644, before the second Battle of Newbury, Charles I made The Bear his Headquarters.
In recent years Greene King, with its Hungry Horse, Eating Inn, Loch Fyne Restaurants and Old English Inns chains, has concentrated on developing its food business, with more than half of its outlets in the South East.
The group is halfway through a five-year restructuring programme that involves increasing managed pubs and reducing tenanted numbers.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) claims that the company is in danger of becoming a monopoly by buying out other breweries and thus potentially limiting choice for the pub consumer.