S&NPC invests £2.5m in Devon pub

Urban & Country Leisure (UCL) has taken on its fourth Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company (S&NPC) site.

S&NPC has spent £2.5m rebuilding a 15th century pub that was destroyed by a fire in 2008 — the George Hotel in Hatherleigh, West Devon.

The Grade II listed property was built in 1450 to be used as a courthouse and hostel for the monks of nearby Tavistock Abbey.

S&NPC wanted to keep the feel of the old George Hotel by using thatched roofing, and "tonnes" of reclaimed wood for areas of exposed timberwork.

"The old George Hotel was a unique and well known landmark. Its destruction was a great loss but we are all extremely excited by the redevelopment," said S&NPC operations and sales director David Beswick.

"The traditional materials and construction methods have created a building whose appearance is almost identical to the original and we are confident it will prove as popular."

UCL runs 16 pubs — it went on site at a pub in Banbury earlier ths month where a £550,000 refurbishment is underway.