A Cotswold pub that served ales from the 17th century until it closed following the pandemic and the death of its owner looks set to return to its glory days thanks to new owners who have stepped in to save the premises with a major refurbishment.
Having bought an empty premises in August, Mike Pain AND Jodie Walker are planning the imminent reopening of the Ram Inn in the center of the village of South Woodchester, between Stroud and Nailsworth. The couple applied to Stroud District Council for a premises license under the Licensing Act 2003.
Social media updates to residents provide progress on the facility’s renovation from “top to bottom,” with the applicants claiming they have spent “weeks stripping the facility down to its bare bones.”
With concerns about the future of Ram in 2019, villagers banded together to successfully register the pub as a community asset. This protection began in 2023 when Phil McAsey, the then owner, sadly passed away. A six-week moratorium saved the pub from being sold while the Ram Supporters Steering Group told SDC it intended to buy the premises.
When this deadline passed, the pub was put up for sale in October 2023 at a guide price of £495,000 through local agents Fronwens. The property was advertised as having more than 4,200 square feet of space, including “kitchen, basement, good parking and a very large maisonette with four bedrooms on the upper floors”, although agent spokeswoman Alison Baker said marketing had not resulted in a sale.
However, this summer an agreement was reached for Mr Pain and Mrs Walker to buy the pub in a private sale, much to the relief of villagers and the wider community.
In an update on the renovation, Mr Pain confirmed that work has already started on re-wiring, re-assembly and rebuilding. No reopening date has been set yet.
Woodchester Parish Council’s information document points out that The Ram was built as a Cotswold pub in the 17th century and adds: ‘Forty years ago it was a small pub owned by Whitbread. In the 1980s it was run by Dave Hicks, who was responsible for the building as it stands today.
“He bought additional land for a car park to increase the profitability of the pub. It was then run by Stuart and his wife before the McAseys bought the pub about 25 years ago.
“It was initially well run and leased to Tim Mullen until about five years ago (2014) when it was taken over by the owners. Since then it has gone into decline, no longer serving food and a limited beer offering. The number of local groups regularly holding meetings in the pub has decreased over the last three to four years.”
Stroud’s planners also approved a bid for two detached buildings on the part of the car park furthest from the pub, but this project did not go ahead.