The Crown and Anchor Tavern
A community owned and run venture that offers a new lease of life to a historic pub
It all started with a conservation around a table, in a pub, over a pint of beer. What began as a wish list of friends, has now become a firm proposition. From these initial thoughts, and a lot of time, we have now become a Community Benefits Society (CBS), about to issue a share offer in order to buy and regenerate this historical pub, a vitally important social hub and a cornerstone of the Llanidloes community. We want to:
- Return the Crown and Anchor to a viable commercial enterprise
- Put any profit back into the community
A commercial enterprise:
The business of a public house is central to the project. However, in the current economic climate this is not enough to make a profit. To make the business sustainable, it is essential that it is supported by other income streams. Our research has suggested the following ideas as strong candidates for income:
- Camping pods
- An outdoor venue for music and other events
- Indoor meeting spaces for local organisations, events and small conferences
- Wood fired pizza
- A Llanidloes ale from hops grown locally and brewed on-site
- There are lots more ideas too!
Putting profits back into the community
Our work so far shows that a viable business is very much achievable. Furthermore, profits are to be reinvested into the local community in the form of a community fund that can be used by societies and organisations to provide amenities for meetings and events. This includes for schools, charities, and in particular for disadvanted groups who have also expressed a strong interest in using the pub as a venue.
Filling Gaps
By seeking consultation with the businesses/organisations we are very much looking to reinvigorate the local economy and to move forward in a collaborative way. The emphasis is to enhance local provisions by filling gaps in the market that have been idenitifed by our market research.
Ultimately, like everyone else, we want to help revitalise the Llanidloes local economy.
Above all, we want inclusion and diversity. No-one is banned. Everyone is welcome!
Community Share Offer
The project is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and we have to abide by their rules. Full details of our market research and business plan can be viewed in the ‘Information’ section of this web site, together with a copy of the rules. To cut a long story short, we are almost at the stage of releasing shares. The intention is to raise a minimum £250K from the share release. This is to purchase the premises and to move into the next phase where we reopen the pub and begin activating other income streams.
The way that the share offer works, is to firstly make the shares available for purchase by locals. The money received will be administered under the auspices of the FCA, CWMPAS and Co-operatives UK. If insufficient funds are received, then there are strict governance rules in place and money will be reimbursed. Details of the upcoming Share Offer can be found in the Information section
We know that community pubs in Wales have flourished and helped to re-establish community. Please support our project by buying shares when they become available - we are working on it
A Flavour of the Past
Built in the early 18th century, the pub remained in the same family for 100 years from 1917 with Licensee Ruby Holmes running the pub from 1965 to 2017. Known as 'Rubys' the following picture shows a pub interior during Ruby's tenure:
Our recent survey show that there were two main reasons why people thought the Crown and Anchor was important.
The first reason was as an important part of the social and cultural fabric of Llanidloes. A lot of people simply said that they loved it and that they missed it. The Crown and Anchor obviously holds a special place in the memory of Llanidloes people with a lot of fond memories
The second strong reason was for its important part of Llanidloes’ history.
The following shows some recent photographs of historical interests, that will likely jog some memories:
The Sign
The old pub sign in need of gentle restoration, after falling off its hanging bracket due to the wood rotting, it will be now be preserved hung on the wall inside the pub and a new hand carved traditional pub sign will be made and hung up in its place
A list of pubs
From this beautifully framed old document we can see that originally, the pub was known as the Half Crown, it is familiar to locals and visitors alike, and be rehung next to the old pub sign
A historical list of llanidloes pubs and closures
Donated to the pub from a Mr ………. A hand written letter documenting the history of Llanidloes pubs, listing where they were, when, and what they became after closure, we are planning to put a modern map of Llanidloes next to it showing where exactly they were.