The village of Brookmans Park is set to keep its local now that new owners have been found to run the community pub. Peach, an award-winning independent pub company which also runs two other great pubs in the county, has taken over the village local and has pledged to put back a proper pub into the heart of the community.

The company, which has had The Old Mill in Berkhamsted since 2006 and which has been successfully running The White Horse in Harpenden since May 2011, has acquired the village pub after rescuing it from the administrators in July of this year. In that time, Peach has been getting to know locals and asking them what they want from their community pub, leaving it well-placed to deliver that now the team is going to be there on a permanent basis.

“We’ve got a good toe in the water in Hertfordshire having been at the helm of two great pubs here for some time,” says Hamish Stoddart, Peach co-founder. “So when we heard that there was a chance we might be able to run Brookmans too, we naturally jumped at it.  This has all the elements of a great food pub for the area. We’re going to be working hard to make it a proper local right at the heart of the village. This is a big, active and lively community and we’re hoping we can put the heart back into Brookmans and make it special to everyone who lives here. We also want to act as a great foodie destination for the local towns and villages around,” he added.

Work is already underway to deliver that goal, with a complete refurbishment of the pub that will restore the building’s classic 1930’s features, put the history back and give Brookmans a new lease of life. Gone is the outsize glass wall that effectively divided the pub and in its place is coming a spacious new bar area and a relaxed eatery offering a great spot for meeting friends and family and enjoying a drink or something tasty to eat. 

Function rooms to the side and front of the pub are also being refitted to create stylish places for parties and entertaining as well as versatile spaces for meetings.  There will be free WiFi throughout and yet everything will be sensitively restored in keeping with the age and character of the building, to create a pub serving good food and drink that the community can enjoy using.

Peach is creating around 10 new jobs locally with positions for front and back of house teams, as well as bringing in some very experienced people of its own from elsewhere in the company to help run the pub.  The refitted Brookmans will re-open to the public on Monday 24^th October.

“We’re really excited to be here in Brookmans Park and restoring a much-needed pub to the village,” says Hamish. “Everyone is welcome to come and see it and experience for themselves the changes we are making, which we really feel will be for the better.  We’re still deciding what to do with the deli at the front of the building and if anyone has any suggestions on what they’d like to see done to this area of the pub, or want to set up a deli or shop, we’d love to hear from them.  Either way, make sure you come and see the new-look Brookmans soon – we’re looking forward to making you feel very welcome.”

To share your ideas for the deli or if you have any other suggestions about Brookmans, please get in touch directly with Hamish by dropping him a line at hamish@peachpubs.com