Shropshire country pub celebrates first year as heart of the community
Shropshire country pub, the Hare & Hounds in Withington, 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 pub 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.
He grew up nearby and spent a lot of his late teens and early 20s and 30s in the pub, playing for the darts team and said he was “absolutely over the moon” he had managed to buy it.
“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. 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,” said Aaron.
“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.
Denise Roscoe is a regular member of the Withington Knit & Natter group which has been meeting and now meets at the pub every Thursday. She said: “When Aaron and Jo took over the Hare & Hounds, they went out of their way to make us feel welcome and even reserved a table for us.
“On Thursdays there is a great community atmosphere and new customers will find that they are welcome to join in, particularly if they bring their knitting or crochet!”
The pub is open six days a week and closed on Wednesdays.
