47. A stake in the Sir Walter Raleigh proves popular

The Sir Walter Raleigh pub on East Budleigh’s High Street

It was a sticky end for the great explorer in his later years when he fell out of favour with the king and ended up in prison. 

So Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite courtier sadly lost his head, as his ghost seemed to be telling me when I took this photo of his statue in East Budleigh.

The tragic event took place in London just over 400 years ago.

But a good future has been secured for the pub named after him in his home village of East Budleigh. 

Pub owners have had a hard time, what with Covid and other problems, and many of them have closed. According to a report published last year, since December 2019 nearly 12,000 bars, pubs and restaurants have closed in Britain – a rate of around 30 a day.

However East Budleigh is a very special village. News that the owner had decided to offer the pub for sale to the community - which already has its own village shop - got a warm welcome.  

The management committee has issued the news item below, from which you can see that the project has really taken off. Good progress has been made with the share offer, and stakeholders will be queuing up for food and drink when the pub reopens.  

 

The ale was served at Fairlynch Museum’s Raleigh 400 exhibition in 2018

For Sir Walter’s 400^th anniversary I suggested to Black Tor brewer Jonathon to launch a Raleigh 400 ale.

 

Brewer Jonathon and me in my fabulous Raleigh costume enjoy a pint at Black Tor brewery  

It would be good to see a Conant 400 brew being served at the pub in due course to honour East Budleigh's other hero, the founder of Salem, Massachusetts. I’m sure Sir Walter’s ghost would agree and would welcome this new direction for the pub.  Both he and Roger Conant wrote about their deep affection for the village where they were born.   

 THE SIR WALTER RALEIGH

A Community Pub, for the Community, run by the Community

We are entering the final stages to purchase the Sir Walter Raleigh. Purchase is expected on 4th March, subject to successful registration of all legal documents & agreement of final details of sale. The new community benefit society is called SWR Community Pub Ltd.

Letters have been sent to all potential shareholders, asking for prompt purchase of shares, to enable the purchase to take place. Volunteers have been contacted and plans are going ahead to proceed promptly with some essential refurbishments. Delays may be unavoidable, but potentially the pub will reopen before Mothering Sunday which is 27th March 2022. The new legal entity of a Management Committee has been set up. Members are Mark Duffelen (Chair & Management of refurbishment), Paul Smith (incorporation of the business & related activities including fund raising), Judith Venning (Communications & Marketing Plan), Jim Bick (Chartered Accountant), Clare James (Estate Surveyor for Clinton Devon Estates & assisting refurbishment), Mark Price (Environment Agency. Drafting Business Plan & related documents), Mike Pulley (Village Hall representative & assisting refurbishment) & Maria Malinowska (Church representative & organiser of new Café).

For further information, email enquiries@eastbudleigh.org.uk or go to the website www.sirwalterraleigh.co.uk