Country pub celebrates first anniversary

A Shropshire country pub is celebrating a year of trading as a freehold pub under its new owners.

Aaron and his wife Joanne officially opened the doors to the refurbished Hare & Hounds in Withington last August and since then have worked tirelessly to create a hub for the community it serves.

The pair have big plans for the pub and want it to remain the heart of the community, welcoming a variety of different groups and getting involved in a multitude of local events.

The pub, on Walcot Road was previously run by the same family for 28 years. The pub, which dates back to the 1800s, was rebranded with a new logo, has been painted inside and out and stripped back to its traditional quarry tiled floor.

The original bar was reinstated and new fireplaces with log burners and oak beams installed with new terraces front and back to accompany the large beer garden.

Since its initial opening 12 months ago, Aaron and Jo have also started hosting speciality food nights such as burgers, fish and chips, pizza, chilli, and curry on Fridays, as well as bar snacks throughout the week.

Each week the Hare & Hounds welcomes teams and groups including the Withington Darts Team, Bowbrook Archers Team, a local knitting club, book club and golf society.

“People of all ages come to this pub for various reasons, which we love. We have a clear plan for the future and find it so sad that we are reading regularly about village pubs across the county having to shut down," said Aaron.

"We want the future of this village pub to be a very bright one and help to revitalise community spirit, I wanted to save this pub from closing as a lack of village pubs and hubs stops people going out and we can see the joy in the community coming together.

“We plan to improve the front and create a two-bedroomed self-contained holiday let upstairs which we think will be very popular. We have a big racing following so the holiday let will be racing themed and hopefully open in Spring 2026.”

Aaron and Jo have a part share in a racehorse called Norman Fletcher who has made a special visit to the pub for a pint of Guinness.