Pony & Trap moves into fresh era with customers at helm

A renowned food-led country inn, set in Somerset's Chew Valley, has changed hands. The Pony & Trap, a 200-year-old traditional inn, in the hamlet of Newtown, near the village of Chew Magna, has been sold for the second time in less than two years through Christie & Co's Bristol office. In March 2002, the business was sold on behalf of John and Sheila Dobbs to two couples who liked the pub so much as customers that they decided to buy it. Dennis and Elena Warren from the village of Hallatrow, near Bristol, and Stephen and Tania Walker from Clutton, near Bristol, lived just a few miles south of the pub and Tania had worked at the pub for eight years. The two couples are now moving on, and the business has been sold to local customers, Derek and Allison Brimble who also live in Hallatrow. The inn has a reputation for good food and real ales, having received numerous accolades in the local and regional press. It is set in grounds of some three to four acres, with panoramic views across the Chew Valley. Although the pub is "off the beaten track", its reputation alone is sufficient to secure regular repeat trade. Christie & Co sold the leasehold interest off an asking price of £110,000.