Residents raise money to save 200-year-old pub

The Three Horseshoes pub has been in Turves, near Whittlesey, since the 1800s

Money is being raised by residents who plan to buy the only pub in their village to save it from demolition.

The Three Horseshoes in Turves near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, dates back to 1822.

The pub is at risk of being pulled down after its owners submitted a planning application in February to Fenland District Council to replace the building with five new houses.

Yet in April the site gained asset of community value status from the council, which means for six months the owners cannot sell or change the pub. This period gives the residents an opportunity to raise the funds needed to buy the building.

'Old worldie pub'

Stephen Goldspink, the chair of the Turves and District Residents’ Association, (TDRA) said: "It was an old worldie English pub with oak beams and a surprise step."

Mr Goldspink said the group has received quotes that indicated it would cost about £350,000 to save the area's only pub.

However, the group said it was going to get its own survey and evaluation done to see what the site could be worth.

Campaigners from TDRA have been applying to grants to raise money and received £5,000 from the Plunkett Foundation last week.

The group has also applied for grants from other bodies such as Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and the Community Ownership Fund.

Mr Goldspink said The Three Horseshoes started to decline after the pandemic, but added it was best known for its food and atmosphere.

The chair said, if the group was successful, he hoped the pub could become a multi-purpose community hub in the future.

"We can envisage it being used as a community centre and being opened most of the day for different activities, for meetings, or lunches."

"We think we have a strong chance of making a go of it if we can raise money to buy it," he added.

The deadline for community groups to bid to buy the pub closed on Monday.