Thatcham pub to be sold at auction next week

A THATCHAM pub is to go under the hammer next week. 

The Plough Inn, Chapel Street, is to be auctioned in London by Elliot Network Auctions on Thursday, September 7. 

The freehold for the Grade II-listed pub has a guide price of between £370,000 to £380,000.

Information with the lot said: “There is good potential for existing and a variety of alternative commercial uses or conversion to residential use subject to planning.

“The car park at the rear offers good potential for further development subject to planning consent.”

Ei Group, formally Enterprise Inns, announced in April that it was selling the pub.  A spokesperson from Ei Publican Partnerships said: “From time to time we identify sites that we do not consider have a long-term future within our business.

“After careful consideration the decision has been made to sell The Plough in Thatcham.”

Information from local historian Nick Young dates the pub back to the 17th century, with 19th-century additions. 

Dr Young’s research places the earliest confirmed record for pub use back to Edward Farrow in 1795. It stayed with the Farrow family until c1860.

In November 1888 the body of an infant was discovered in the roof.

In 1894, Thatcham Football Club played their first recorded match, using the nearby Plough Inn as their base.