One north Hampshire pub shuts, another re-opens

Speculation was mounting in Kingsclere this week,as to the future of the Crown pub, in Newbury Road, a Grade II listed, Victorian-Tudor building.
Pub owners, Enterprise Inns, confirmed the pub had been officially closed in early June, temporarily:
“We have since held a recruitment day and are recruiting to re-open the Crown as soon as possible,” said Amy Dolphin, a spokeswoman for the company, who was unable to confirm the reason for the closure.
The Crown is one of three pubs in the village, including The Swan, in Swan Street, and the George and Horn pub, also in Basingstoke Road.
Landlady of the George and Horn, Clare French, was unable to cast any light on the reason for the Crown’s closure and trade at the George and Horn, she continued, was already brisk, before the closure: “We are quite busy - it didn’t really affect us,” she said.
Landlord of the Swan, Alistair McLaren, said the Crown was not boarded up and it was believed a new landlord would shortly be found: “I guess it’s had some effect on our trade, but there’s not much difference,” he said.
In neighbouring Ecchinswell, the only village pub - the 15th century, Royal Oak - closed on January 8, after owner, Andrew Miller, claimed the taxman delivered a Christmas present of a huge VAT bill, and despite, he said, the “blood sweat and tears,” that he and his family had put into the venture.
This week, Mr Miller confirmed, new landlords had been found for the pub, likely to re-open in about a week or so: “We have found a young couple, they have taken quite a long term tenancy - a ten year lease - on the pub,” said Mr Miller.
The new landlords, he continued, were currently busy revamping accommodation at the pub, and would be live-in, rather than absentee landlords, a couple who between them would provide meals and front of house services at the pub.
The pub had been on the market with a £495,000 price tag, but Mr Miller had said he was keen for it to continue trading rather than sold for development.