An historic public house in the centre of Hexham that was awarded a grant to breathe new life into the building  has re-opened to the public. 
 

The Coach and Horses Public House in Priestpopple, which is situated in the town’s Conservation Area, was awarded £240,000 by Northumberland County Council and Historic England through the Hexham High Streets Heritage Action Zone scheme (HSHAZ). 

The aim of the scheme is to revitalise the town’s historic centre making it a more attractive, engaging and vibrant place for people to live, work, invest and visit. 

Hexham High Streets Heritage Action Zone is part of a £95 million government-funded programme led by Historic England. It’s designed to secure lasting improvements and rejuvenate historic high streets. 

Admiral Taverns, the UK’s leading community pub group, and licensee, Fiona Beck also invested a combined £460,000 into the restoration of the Coach and Horses making this the largest investment across its estate of around 1,600 pubs. 

Admiral Taverns’ Business Development Manager, Stephen Birkett, commented: “We are absolutely delighted with the refurbishment of The Coach and Horses - it looks fantastic! It’s been a pleasure working alongside Northumberland County Council and Historic England and supporting our licensee, Fiona Beck to bring her vision to life. The support we have received has been generous and will ensure the pub thrives in the local community, offering residents another fantastic local community pub. I have no doubt that Fiona is the perfect person to take the business forward and we wish her the best of luck and can’t wait to see what the future holds for this brilliant local pub.” 

The funding has been used to restore and upgrade the front of the Inn to make it a more attractive building within the Conservation Area. Work has included the removal of the fake Tudor batons and the rendering of this frontage with new signage, lighting and doorway. 

Work has also taken place to bring the building back into use as a family friendly dining pub by linking the two sides of the building together to form a more attractive and useable space. 

The first floor has been refurbished to create high quality letting bedrooms and the beer garden refurbished to create an attractive outdoor dining area - with the work reflecting the historic character of the property. 

Northumberland County Councillor, Wojciech Ploszaj, cabinet member for Business said:  

“Throughout the refurbishment process, great care has been taken to understand the building and its important place in the town – both past and present. 

“The Coach and Horses dates back to the early 1800s and the scheme has brought this old coaching inn back to life, preserving its unique character and important historic features, while still meeting the expectations and demands of a modern business.” 

“I am sure it will be enjoyed by many future generations to come.” 

 

Jules Brown, from Historic England, said: “Grants are available to help renovate and restore some key historic buildings, which help to give Hexham such a strong sense of place and character.  It’s great to see the funding being used to bring buildings like The Coach and Horses back to life, so they can be used and enjoyed by local people and visitors alike.”