Experienced operator acquires Wiltshire’s Bell & Crown pub

Bell and Crown in Wiltshire, a period country pub located in Zeals, has been acquired by an experienced hospitality operator. Occupying a prominent roadside position on the edge of the village of Zeals, The Bell and Crown is easily accessible from the A303 and situated just two miles from the Stourhead National Trust gardens, which attracts around 400,000 visitors during the year. The Bell and Crown retains the characteristics of its past as a former coaching inn with its flagstone floors and large open fireplaces. The original buildings have been added to over the years to provide larger back of house areas, including a sizeable commercial kitchen. Previous owner, John Harrington is an iconic figure within the pub industry, having built up a reputation as a popular chef owner operator. The Bell and Crown has been purchased by the Davids family from Salisbury, who runs a small hospitality business in the local area. Ethan Davids said: “We aim to build on John Harrington’s hard work in creating a strong reputation locally, offering genuine hospitality, and great food and drink in picturesque country surroundings. Our seasonal menu will offer guests the best of locally sourced produce, value and quality, with dishes you’ll struggle to find elsewhere. “The Bell and Crown was traditionally a coaching inn, and our plans to develop the upstairs to create six en suite letting rooms means we’ll be taking the pub back to its initial purpose, albeit without the horses. We’d like to invite guests to experience the charm and atmosphere of a newly refurbished country pub before retiring to the confines of a highly finished, comfortable bedroom.” He added:“The pub will be shut for around eight weeks whilst it’s given a facelift and we begin work on the upstairs. Once it’s finished it will be managed under the guidance of Ethan, Jordan and school friend Tommy who, collectively, cannot wait to welcome their first guests. You can visit the www.bellandcrown.com for regular updates on the development.” Nicholas Calfe, director at Christie and Co, said: “It was a pleasure handling the sale for John and Lyn Harrington who I have known for many years and I do wish them all the best in the future. I am really excited by the new owners plans to transform the Bell and Crown and having dropped by to wish them well, I can see that work is well under way. I can’t wait to see how it looks when the work is done and the pub is reopened.”