An historic public house in the centre of Hexham has been awarded a grant to breathe new life into the building. 
 

The Coach and Horses Public House in Priestpopple, which is situated in the town’s Conservation Area, has been 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. 
 

Property owner Admiral Taverns, the UK’s leading community pub group, is also investing £460,000 into the restoration of the Coach and Horses. This the largest combined investments across its estate of nearly 1,600 pubs. 
 

Admiral Taverns’ Business Development Manager, Stephen Birkett, commented: “Creating long-term, sustainable pub businesses is a core part of what we do, and we’re delighted with the investment in the Coach and Horses, alongside Northumberland County Council and Historic England. It’s a brilliant local pub which has a lot of potential to give back to its community, as well as a passionate licensee in place to drive the business forwards. We’re really excited to see the new look and the new accommodation will give even more opportunities to locals and travellers to the area. 
 

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

Work will also take 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 will be refurbished to create high quality letting bedrooms and the beer garden will also be refurbished to create an attractive outdoor dining area. The planned works will reflect the historic character of the property. 
 

Planning permission has been granted for the scheme and work is expected to commence later in the month. 
 

Northumberland County Councillor Wojciech Ploszaj, cabinet member for Business said: “The Coach and Horses dates back to the early 1800s. It is an old coaching inn with a central coach arch and coach house to the rear of the premises, so it is a building of considerable historic interest. 
 

“Not only is this project helping to improve the look of a building in a busy area of the town but it is also preserving and restoring some of Hexham’s important historical features and unique character for future generations to come." 
 

This is the first business to be awarded a grant in the scheme area of Priestpopple and Battle Hill - Others are in the pipeline. 

Jules Brown, from Historic England, said: “Grants are available through the Council to help reuse and restore historic buildings in the HAZ priority area, 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 contribute to the local economy and help the high street recover.