A pub created inside an historic tenants' hall in a "millionaires' village" in Cheshire has been nominated for a top national award. The Churchill Tree pub is set within a gated country estate in the village of Nether Alderley which has been described as among the poshest villages in the UK by The Telegraph.
Now bosses are celebrating after it made a national list of the best new pubs to open over the past two years. It is the only pub in the north west to feature in the Best New Site nominee list at the upcoming The Publican Awards.
The pub industry awards are considered among the most prestigious in the biz and involve a "rigorous" judging process. It will see The Churchill Tree up against The Mainwaring Arms in Newcastle Under Lyme, Heidi's Beer Bar in Cardiff and three London pubs - The Little Scarlet Door, The Boleyn Tavern and Brewdog at Waterloo.
Read more: Bakery hailed for "genius" response to negative one star review about pies
The Churchill Tree was created after a lavish restoration of the former Tenants' Hall on the Alderley Park estate which is Grade-II listed and dates back to 1904. Owners restored the historical features and have made the most of them in the creation of the main pub area, as well as adding a modern annex for diners.
The pub's bosses Cheshire Pub Company say they are delighted with the nomination at The Publican Awards 2023, having launched the pub in the midst of lockdown in May 2021. They are also celebrating being nominated in the Best Managed Pub Company category too.
Jenny Bufton, marketing boss for the company, said: "We are incredibly proud of our whole team for continually pushing forward during challenging times, and always striving to maintain high operational and service standards for our valued communities."
The pub offers a varied menu featuring pub classics as well as light lunches and sandwiches. It also offers a "bit of nostalgia" section on its menus - serving up pub dishes from the past like devilled kidneys on toast, chicken cordon bleu and banana split.
The hall itself was originally used as a ballroom for lavish parties by the Stanley family who lived in the neighbouring Alderley Hall. But in 1919 it was turned into a hospital for war heroes.
Much of the Alderley Hall estate was destroyed by fire in 1931 with the Tenants' Hall one of only two original buildings that survive on the Cheshire site.
Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously visited the country estate as a young man and planted a tree on the site - which is how the pub gets its name. In the 1950s the whole park was purchased by ICI Pharmaceuticals, which would go on to become Astra Zeneca, who retain a huge laboratory on the site.
But in more recent times the site has been developed into multi-million pound mansions as part of the Bruntwood SciTech Alderley Park developments. The pub has become the hub at the heart of the new community.
The award nod comes amid a time of continued growth for the Cheshire Pub Co, having recently launched The Space Invader pub in Goostrey after a renovation of the former Red Lion in the village. They have also announced a joint venture with Joseph Holt's taking on The Cock O' Budworth in Great Budworth, one of Cheshire's most picturesque villages.
After that launches in February, they will move on to a further restoration project, having taken over the Old Fire Station in Tarporley. They plan to open that as the pub company's first bistro style venture, called The Rascal and Radical, late in the spring.
Read next:-
- Woman fuming after partner, 48, turned away from bar for "being too old"
- 20 amazing places you need to visit across Greater Manchester in 2023
- "I tried the UK's first Indian drive thru restaurant and left with one regret"
- Courteeners celebrate record-breaking album at Liam Fray's own bar
- Award-winning restaurant announces shock closure in heartbreaking post
