New landlords Alex Fergus and James Kaye hope to re-establish The Carpenter’s Arms in Burghclere as ‘a proper country pub’

The new landlords of a village pub are hoping to restore it to its former glory and re-establish it as “a proper country pub”.

Alex Fergus and James Kaye took over management of The Carpenter’s Arms in Burghclere on October 15.

The pair, who became friends at a track day in 2016, had the desire to jointly take over a pub for some time, but they quickly decided to go for The Carpenter’s when the opportunity arose in March this year.

Their final decision to go for it was fittingly made in another pub.

Mr Kaye said: “Most people make the best decisions once they’ve had a pint.”

Mr Fergus added: “It was pub chat, and then we ended up buying a pub.”

Mr Fergus has a background in telecommunications software engineering and this project is his first foray into the hospitality business.

Mr Kaye on the other hand has been working in the industry since he got his first job at a butchers shop when he was 14.

He has managed several pubs in the past for either large companies or community-owned consortiums, but this is the first time he’s owned his own.

Mr Kaye lives on site at the Burghclere pub and manages the day-to-day operations while Mr Fergus helps out on more of a part-time basis.

Mr Kaye quickly summed up their working relationship: “You shout at me for paperwork, and I tell you not to pour a pint.”

According to the new landlords, they have already been warmly received by the Burghclere community, with particular praise given to their regular relighting of the pub’s fireplace and a staple of the new food menu that is the pie of the day.

Their vision is to make The Carpenter’s a popular country pub again complete with regular events, good, reasonably-priced food, well-presented rooms and a welcoming, community atmosphere.

They already have some interesting ideas for the future as well, including perhaps purchasing an outdoor wood fired pizza oven or establishing a vegetable patch in the pub’s back garden.

Mr Kaye said: “I want people to walk through that front door and almost feel like they’re walking into the front room of my house. It’s warm, it’s cosy.

“There isn’t stuck-up service [here]. It’s genuine, caring and very relaxed. It’s open and people feel welcome.”

Mr Fergus added: “It has been an enormous amount of work, but we are starting to see the other side of it now. It is starting to work.”