One Bell opens but others remain Closed

THREE BELLS

Another Hampshire pub has been saved.

There are three pubs in north Hampshire named The Bell, and until last week all were closed.
Now, in brilliant news, The Bell in Odiham on the historic Bury has reopened having been saved from being replaced as housing by the local community which raised the funds to purchase and save the pub.
Last weekend saw the official opening with many activities including Morris dancing.

This small traditional two room pub is a Grade II Listed Building and is steeped in 500 years of local history as a hostelry. 

To give a feel for the pub's character' it also has Dominoes, Shove Ha'penny and Pickled Eggs, while on the bar three cask beers are currently served – Fullers London Pride, Flowerpots Pots Bitter and Odiham Drizzle, a Flack Manor rebadged dark mild.

It is a fantastic win for the Odiham pub scene and showed the importance of being registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) and of having local community support.

The Bell is easy to reach by using the 13 Basingstoke/Alton service, getting off at Crownfields and taking the adjacent footpath to the Bury. 

Its a 'must visit' pub

The pub opens at 4.30pm each day including weekends, but is closed Mondays.

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The other Bells:

Sadly the other two ‘Bells’ remain closed.

The Bell in Whitchurch, another Grade II Listed pub, closed a year ago with a hope it would reopen but despite some limited work the doors remain closed. It would be good if the Council had registered it as an ACV but as yet that hasn’t taken place. A request is to be made.
Regrettably hope for reopening has been lost for The Bell at Weyhill which has been given planning permission to become a childrens nursery. It currently deteriorates behind hoardings as substantial work has yet to commence.

The Bell, Weyhill – CLOSED 👎

The Bell, Whitchurch – CLOSED 👎

The Bell, Odiham – SAVED and OPEN 👍

SUPPORT OUR PUBS

"When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England"

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Andover's Exciting New Pub

Andover has a New Pub.

The Powder Monkey at the Guildhall opened officially yesterday – and what a great addition to the town it is.

The expanding brewery/pub operator, Powder Monkey,  has transformed the ground floor of the historic Grade II* Listed Guildhall into a modern fresh bar that will add some much needed vibrancy to the town centre.

With six of the Gosport brewer's beers on keg and a number of their cans and bottles there is a good choice, while a comprehensive menu is available. The six tasty keg beers include a very tasty Pilsner, along with modern pale ales and a stout.

A feature is that everything comes from small independent producers, of which the friendly manager Luke was proud.

Powder Monkey is based at Priddy's Hard, a historic naval site now also housing the exciting Explosion! Museum.
The forward-looking company was formed in 2019 and was set up in a historic naval gunpowder store with the first beers being brewed in 2021.
They have expanded rapidly, taking over Goddards Brewery on the Isle of Wight, whose beers are now available at the Guildhall in bottles. In July they also acquired two Sydney-based Australian brewers – the Wayward Brewing Company and Akasha Brewing Company. 

The addition of the new pub to Andover will be a welcome addition to the town.

Powder Monkey for Andover

Andover will soon be seeing the award-winning Powder Monkey Brewing opening a venue in the High Street. The forward-thinking company that is based at the Priddy Hard Explosion! museum complex in Gosport is taking the lease of the ground floor of the iconic Grade II Listed Guildhall.

Intentions are for a new eating and drinking establishment in a space where relaxation and socialising will be to the fore. 
Hours planned are 9.00am – 10.00pm Monday to Thursday, 9.00am – 11.00pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 9.00am – 9.00pm on Sundays. There will be a breakfast menu, an all day menu, and traditional Sunday roasts.
Drinks will feature "Powder Monkey beers, quality non-mainstream wines, artisan spirits and local coffee". Outside space will also be used when possible.

Powder Monkey
Powder Monkey commenced brewing in the old naval gunpowder store in 2021 where they also set up a visitors' centre and a tasting bar.

They have quickly become established as an exciting growing company. Last year they added the Australian brewery, Willie the Boatman, to their portfolio, while more recently they they purchased the leading independent brewery on the Isle of Wight, Goddards, a brewer more known for its range of traditional cask and bottled beers.

Award
Only last month, Powder Monkey was announced as winning the Brewery of the Year by Portsmouth & SE Hampshire Campaign for Real Ale. 
The brewery said:

"This is a credit to our team who have worked so hard and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who was enjoyed a Powder Monkey beer this past year and all the fantastic venues helping us bring the beer to you!"

Exciting for Andover
These are exciting times for the hospitality business in Andover, with this announcement quickly following that of Loungers taking on the empty ex-Barclay's Bank premises a few yards further down the High Street.
See:
https://thehappypint.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-new-bar-for-andover.html

Contracts Exchanged for Community Pub

The end of 2024 has seen some excellent news with the exchange of contracts for the historic Bell Inn in Odiham as it now moves forward to re-opening as a community owned pub.

The Bell before closure

The Bell Inn, Odiham
The Bell Inn, licenced since 1509 is one of Hampshire's oldest pubs where brewing has reportedly taken place as far back as the Domesday Book. Tucked away in the historic area known as The Bury, opposite the church and the stocks, The Bell is an integral part of this tranquil corner of Odiham. 

An unfair system that closes pubs
As a traditional pub it was primarily a drinks 'wet-led' house and was owned by the national PubCo Admiral Taverns. It was tied for products to Admiral which meant little opportunity for tenants to build the business further, a harsh reality of what many feel is an unfair trading system that needs serious legal changes. This can often lead to a pub being made unviable, sometimes deliberately, in order to obtain a change of use, usually to residential.

Applications were rejected
During covid the pub closed when the publicans retired and, as sure as night follows day, it was subsequently sold to developers who claimed the pub was unviable and had plans for converting it into houses.
In late 2022 after local pressure, the developer's planning application to Hart District Council was refused and a subsequent Appeal to the Planning Inspector was also rejected.  

Local support for retaining the pub
As well as support from the planners the registration of The Bell as an ACV (Asset of Community Value) was a factor in the recognition of the premises as an important local amenity. 

With the social and economic benefits a public house provides to a community, CAMRA's local Pub Protection Officer, John Buckley, calls on all Parish and Town Councils to ensure their pubs are both registered as ACVs and also recognised in Local and Neighbourhood Plans. "Having ACVs and adopted planning policies in place are important tools in an armoury to fight change of use applications. many more pubs need to be registered but it needs local people and their councillors to be proactive in putting them in place. The Campaign for Real Ale can provide advice."

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Meanwhile a group of residents formed a team with the aim of purchasing the pub. Finance was obtained through a successful application to the government's Community Ownership Fund and a Share Offer was launched for local people.

On the last day of 2024 the team announced the fantastic news:

"We have exchanged contracts to purchase the Bell.
We will complete and collect the keys on Friday."

Brillant news
Now the hard work towards refurbishing and reopening starts in earnest.

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The Bell image by Basher Eyre
license under Creative Commons

Microbrewery and bar approved for Overton

The plans for a new bar and microbrewery in Overton have taken a step forward as Basingstoke & Deane Development Control Committee approved the planning application this week (Wed.9th October).

Permission has now been granted for the creation a new bar, micro-brewery and kitchen at No.7 High Street, a former hair and beauty salon (Hobbs).

7 High Street, Overton

The premises consists of a two-storey building that is believed to date from the 15th/16th centuries but has undergone significant changes although much of the timber framing remains. It is registered as a Listed Grade II building.

Support was high
Councillors heard from the applicant's architect who focussed on the responses from the main consultees, including HCC Highways, Archaeology, Environmental Health, Historic Environment, Southern Water and Biodiversity. All were registering a No Objection. 

In addition he noted the high number of letters of support from local residents. 77 were in support while only 12 were opposed, with most seeing such an establishment as a welcome addition to the village high Street. Support also came from the local Campaign for Real Ale citing the wider community benefits that such an establishment can provide. 

The Parish Council 
However, Overton Parish Council had objected citing issues such as a possible increase in anti-social behaviour. In a statement that has raised some eyebrows they also stated they "wish to discourage any further opportunities to organise social drinking or beer festivals". 

The present inside

Noting that the village already has a number of pubs the Parish Council also expressed concern that:
"Creating yet another venue must run the risk of encouraging more alcohol consumption – which is not warranted in such a small village."

Concerns dealt with by owners
A few other residents expressed worries over parking and transport, potential noise and odours, all of which had been dealt with by the planners and the business owners.
During the meeting it was stressed how helpful the owners had been on considering local concerns in making adjustments to the plans, one main change being the removal of the rear outside seating area.
Planners have imposed a number of 'Conditions' which the owners must now comply with before work can commence.

Plans for the main building
The ground floor of the main building will contain comfortable seating including sofas and stools, along with the bar with 2 – 5 steel serving tanks, 5 – 7 taps, an area for preparing cocktails and space for fridge, dishwasher and sink. Upstairs is an area that can be "booked for private dining/ more intimate setting with mixture of sofas, bar stools..."

Two unisex WCs will also be upstairs and the brief included a request to the architect "To include area for makeup/hair etc." To the rear there is a long narrow stretch of land where, at the end, the micro-brewery and kitchen will be situated.

This will be a great addition to the village and we all look forward to the opening and a visit.

Popular publicans take on the Kings Arms

Whitchurch and the Kings Arms are to have one of the most popular publicans in the area take over the reins.

Stephen Howard and Lucy Holmes are moving from the Plough Inn, the award-winning community pub in Longparish to the Kings Arms – they will be more than welcomed.

The Kings Arms

The Plough was saved from conversion to residential use having been registered as an Asset of Community Value.

Local people took the opportunity to buy it as a community asset raising shares and finance, and along with support of Longparish Parish Council and much hard work by volunteers, saved the pub. The Parish Council arranged a Public Loan Board finance and now receives rent from the Plough. 

 
Last December (2022) to much excitement The Plough went on to win CAMRA's National Pub Saving Award gaining even more commendation for the community engagement and cooperation.

Steve and Lucy were a major part of making the Plough a place where anyone was welcome, where high quality food and beers were available and where customer service and hospitality was second to none.
They are now bringing these skills to Whitchurch.

Steve Howard

In their tenure they built up very high reviews and turned the Plough into a major destination venue, with special mention going to their Sunday Roasts, including their innovative Doggy Roast and their novel but regularly sold out Friday candle-lit evenings to reduce energy costs.

They also had a high knowledge of quality beers, providing a balanced range for all, including a number of new style craft beers which helped them gain selection into the national Good Beer Guide.

They now bring their expertise and their commitment to quality to Whitchurch.

The Kings Arms, while still under the ownership of the Red Oak Taverns pub company will be in good hands under the custodianship of Steve and Lucy.

We cannot wait to be visiting and raising a glass with them.

We also raise our glasses to the wonderful Laura and Rob who are leaving the pub having made it so welcoming during their five year tenure, building it as a friendly community amenity, and who to whom we wish the very best for the future.

It is understood the hope is that the King's Arms will re-open on Friday 15th September.

HALF MOON & SPREAD EAGLE TO RE-OPEN

Micheldever's The Half Moon and Spread Eagle has a new publican after its sudden closure, with Matt Etherington taking on the popular pub as from June 19th with the actual opening date to planned to be in early July.

Can you help?
The local community has rallied around to ensured the pub will soon be serving good pints and fine food again but there is still much to be done a call has gone out for volunteers to help with painting. 

If anyone can offer for a three-hour session of painting on a morning or afternoon on Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd, Saturday 24th, or Sunday 25th, they should contact charlesholden1@hotmail.co.uk

Opening Date
Regarding the planned opening an announcement by Charles Holden on 'Micheldever Village' stated:

"On Wednesday 5th July the bar will be open from 5.30pm for Matt to get his team into the swing of things - and meet you!
"The pub will be open for normal service on Thursday with a formal opening at 6pm on Friday 7th July at which it is hoped that our MP, Steve Brine, will say a few words."

Bookings:
Details have also been provided should anyone wish to book:

"If you wish to book for lunch or dinner from Thursday, the contact before Wednesday 28 June is mjames85@hotmail.co.uk. By then BT should have connected the phone and bookings can be made on 01962 774150."

GOOD NEWS from THE HALF MOON & SPREAD EAGLE

As reported earlier The Half Moon and Spread Eagle at Micheldever had suddenly closed, but today there was an announcement of Good News.

An announcement by Charles Holden on 'Micheldever Village' stated:

"I am thrilled to be able to announce that the Half Moon and Spread Eagle is back in business! It will re-open in early July".

Plans include opening 7-days a week and having a pizza oven in the garden. 

Staff are currently being sought and anyone interested should register with Matt via halfmoonmicheldever@gmail.com

From secateurs to willing hands
There are plans to carry out a tidy-up at the pub and volunteers are being sought to help – and to come along on the morning of Sunday 4th June from 9.30pm "armed with secateurs, strimmers, mowers or just willing hands!"


This is all very good news and hopefully The Half Moon and Spread Eagle will again be providing great service over the Summer months.

DUCK & TIPPLE OPENS

The Duck & Tipple has opened its new lovely bar in Andover and is selling four keg brews from the revered brewery Siren Craft, including a changing special.

Siren Craft is a small modern craft brewery specialising in modern style beers. Their beers can also be found at the sister Duck & Tipple in Basingstoke.

This small comfortable bar in London Street also features a range of cocktails and a food menu, but to be sure of a table it would be best to book.
A very popular feature is the Bottomless Brunch.

The Duck & Tipple is a great addition to the town's attractions.

Full details:
https://www.duckandtipple.co.uk/