Britain’s best pub revealed as boozer that went from boarded up to beloved 'haven' for locals
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A pub that once closed has been named as the best boozer in the country after scooping a prestigious award. The Bailey Head in Oswestry, Shropshire has been named the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) overall Pub of the Year for the first time. The pub was previously owned by a major pub company and when it closed, it was listed by CAMRA as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) to protect it from being turned into housing.
It was later rescued by husband and wife team Duncan Borrowman and Grace Goodlad in 2016, who have been praised by CAMRA for turning the boozer into "a haven" that puts "community and inclusion" at the heart of what it does, through events like its charity pub quizzes and live music. The Bailey Head has previously won awards from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), The Shropshire GOAT and TripAdvisor under its new ownership.
Landlady Grace Goodlad said: “We are thrilled, we hope we can live up to the award. In our wildest dreams we never thought we would win CAMRA Pub of the Year. From small beginnings nine years ago, we have taken everything one step at a time, through COVID, slowly improving to the point where we now have twelve handpulls serving six cask beers and six ciders and perries, plus sixteen other draught lines.
“When we bought the pub nine years ago it was failing and had been listed as an Asset of Community Value by the local CAMRA branch. That listing made it possible for us to save it from potentially becoming housing and turning it into the pub it is today.”.
