Rural pub to reopen after nine years

The Plough Inn, a Grade II listed building, closed as a pub nine years ago

A pub which has been closed for nine years is to reopen this summer after a major refurbishment.

The Plough Inn in Powburn, Northumberland, is a coaching inn dating back to the 18th Century, and will be run as a cafe during the day and a pub in the evening.

Publicans Paul and Sarah Johnson announced a partnership with Kris Blackburn, who runs The Running Fox cafe chain, earlier this year.

Mr Johnson said: "It's been a frustrating time waiting for planning permission but we can't wait to be open."

The refurbishment has exposed the original fireplaces which had been covered up for years

"We've done something very similar at the Farriers Rise in Shilbottle," Ms Blackburn explained.

"It works really well to have the space used as a cafe during the day and as a pub at night.

"So when we went to see the Plough we knew straightaway it could work, it is such a fantastic building."

The Running Fox in The Plough Inn will be the sixth cafe in that chain in Northumberland

The former pub has been empty since 2015 but the Grade II listed building has a covenant on it which means it cannot be converted into a private home.

Mr Johnson said it was in "a terrible state" when they took it on.

"It was really dirty and damp but we've stripped it right back and uncovered all the original fireplaces which look just stunning," he said.

"It's a great location and with the new Anglo-Saxon museum, Ad Gefrin, opening in Wooler, there are lots more tourists passing through."

Mrs Johnson said they wanted it to be "more than a pub".

"It's going to be a community hub, a place where people can get together, not just to drink but for lots of different activities, and that is so important in these rural communities," she added.

It is hoped The Plough will welcome its first customers by the end of July.

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