Cheshire's most upmarket village, which was named one of the poshest in the UK, has just one pub - which looks exactly like you would expect. Based in the country estate of Alderley Park, the Churchill Tree was converted from a Grade II-listed Tenants Hall into a stylish community pub, and it is the only one in the area.
The pub serves residents of Nether Alderley - the village which was recently named as one of the poshest villages in the UK by The Daily Telegraph. The affluent village is known for being popular with the rich and famous, and was once a place that David and Victoria Beckham called home. The average house price in the area over the last year was a whopping £1,025,403, according to Rightmove.
Although the Churchill Tree is in amongst an extravagant setting, surrounded by million-pound homes, it has the style and feel of a traditional pub. From a nibbles hour to a 'cockles man', it delivers classic values of what a pub is best known for.
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When CheshireLive visited The Churchill Tree, the charm of the classic yet contemporary design of the venue was striking. The glamour is undeniable, but the key listed features of the old Tenants Hall remain.
It's a pub where customers can enjoy a drink in the bar area that features traditional high ceilings, or sit down for a classic British pub dish. The variety of experiences available to pub-goers is impressive, as diners can also enjoy the option of soaking up the sun whilst dining al fresco in outdoor courtyards.
The building is steeped in history and was once home to the Stanley family, before becoming a hospital for wounded war heroes during World War One in 1919. The pub's name stems from Winston Churchill visiting the estate and planting a tree on the site.
Speaking to CheshireLive, Jenny Bufton, head of brand a digital communications at Cheshire Pub Company said it is 'not easy' to escape the glamour of the venue. But says the Churchill Tree is a 'local pub for local people'.
She said: "Many people who live on the park are professionals. The values of The Churchill Tree are that we serve our local community and listen to them and provide them with everything a traditional pub should.
"A lot more young people are moving onto the Alderley Park site, and our pub caters for everyone. We get a lot of residents come in during the week and on weekends we get a variety of people.
"It's amazing that people in Alderley Edge don't know we are here. It's a local pub for local people. But it's not easy to get away from the glamour of it.
"The core values is that of a traditional pub. We brought back a 'cockles man' to bring some tradition to the pubs, at all the venues."
Jenny says the Churchill Tree has become 'much more' than just a pub as they worked to restore a listed building that had been 'derelict for years'. She said: "Everything we do is engineered towards serving our communities. This is a hub for the local community.
"The pub is so much more than just a pub for the community though, it restored life to a building that had been derelict for years.
"It's supported the community in so many ways since. And we've restored it back to its original standard. Members of the Stanley family still come in now."
After a stop-start opening due to successive lockdowns over the last two years, pub-goers have been able to enjoy the dazzling pub since May last year. Jenny says the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people are served at the Churchill Tree.
She said: "All our pubs are really interconnected and Covid changed the way we serve people. People were coming in and sitting down and not being seen to. Lockdown seemed to really instil table service into people.
The Cheshire Pub Company run other pubs in the county as well as the Churchill Tree - the Frozen Mop in Mobberley and the Ship in the village of Styal near Wilmslow. Jenny feels the company set out to create a traditional pub feeling at all of their venues.
"The whole point is it's a pub and that's the feeling we want people to get. The whole essence of the Cheshire Pub Company brand is that," she said.
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