The Old Ship Inn at Ringmer, a food-led country freehouse si

The purchaser, Bob Aylewood, has just sold a pub in Epsom, Surrey, in order to purchase the property from owner, Paul Day, who is concentrating on his other pub, the Royal Oak in Poynings, near Brighton. The Old Ship is an attractive country inn on the Uckfield Road, surrounded by farmland, with the South Downs as a backdrop. Two famous people associated with the village were John Harvard (who founded Harvard University) and William Penn (who founded Pennsylvania). The inn is only six miles from Uckfield and attracts local trade from the villages of Barcombe and Ringmer, as well as passing trade from the A26 en route to Lewes, Brighton and Newhaven. It is now an established freehouse with a reputation for good food, which is estimated to account for some 60% of turnover. The Old Ship Inn is a traditionally built, detached, two-storey building with attic rooms above. It has been altered and extended over the years but retains much of its original character. The property comprises a three section bar, dining area, four-bedroom owner's accommodation, extensive lawned gardens and car park. Simon Chaplin, of the Maidstone Office of Christie & Co, which handled the sale, said: "The new owner of the Old Ship Inn has many years' experience in the licensed trade. He is looking forward to further developing the growing food trade and making use of the extensive gardens during the summer months." The Old Ship Inn was sold for an undisclosed figure from an asking price of £465,000 for the freehold interest.