Villagers toast re-opening of The White Hart Inn

The centuries-old pub in Hamstead Marshall has re-opened under new ownership following an extensive refurbishment

HAMSTEAD Marshall villagers are toasting the re-opening of the centuries-old village pub.

The White Hart Inn re-opened recently, much to the delight of local residents, who turned out in their droves for a launch night last week.

The historic pub had been closed since May 2010, leaving villagers with a sizeable trek to the nearest pub, the Craven Arms in Enborne.

But local resident, Penny Stokes, said: “We're delighted to have our pub back at last.

“The new owner Stella Coulthurst has brought about an amazing transformation in an incredibly short space of time.

“She has kept all the traditional character that made the White Hart such a success years ago, and at the same time polished it with a modernistic appeal.

“It deserves to do enormously well and I'm sure it will.”

Ms Coulthurst worked right up to the last minute with her team to prepare the site for its grand re-opening night, which she described as a fantastic evening.

She said: “We had the usual chaos you might expect ahead of opening and it was almost like a 60-minute makeover, but we got there and it is very exciting to be open.”

Ms Coulthurst added that the opening few days of trade had been promising with several bookings for the refurbished accommodation at the inn, adding that she was pleased to be welcoming crowds to what she hopes will be a traditional, top quality British pub with good, locally sourced food.