Brakspear expands estate with Bicester pub

01-Dec-2017 - Last updated on 01-Dec-2017 at 12:25 GMT

New site: the Lion is adding 13 bedrooms for letting from March next year

Pub operator and brewer Brakspear’s managed estate has grown to 11 sites with the acquisition of the Lion in Wendlebury.

Purchased from Sarah and Kerr Robinson-Smith, who established the pub’s reputation for quality food served in an informal environment, the Lion becomes the latest pub to join the Brakspear estate after the reopening of the Dog and Duck in Wokingham took the number of pubs under the brewer’s banner into double figures.

Located in the heart of Wendlebury village, the 190-cover pub has 13 bedrooms under construction which are due to be opened in March next year. It offers a traditional bar, relaxed dining areas – with private dining options available – as well as an attractive beer garden.

"Perfect fit"

Tom Davies, Brakspear chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to be adding the Lion to our managed estate. Its focus on top quality food and outstanding service in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere makes it a perfect fit with the ethos of our managed business. The addition of bedrooms creates an exciting opportunity which we are well-placed to maximise thanks to our experience of running several pubs with rooms in the Cotswolds.

“The Lion is a popular pub which is trading well under general manager Matt Gaby and his team, who will be staying in post. We have no plans to make big changes in the short term, and will be focusing on a successful launch of the letting rooms in the spring.”

Brakspear’s other managed pubs are: the Bull on Bell Street, Henley-on-Thames; Porch House and the Sheep on Sheep Street, both in Stow-on-the-Wold; George Townhouse in Shipston-on-Stour; the Townhouse in Stratford-upon-Avon; the Chequers in Marlow; the Running Horses in Mickleham, Surrey, and the Retreat in Staines, Middlesex, as well as more recent additions, Wokingham’s Dog and Duck and the Little Angel in Henley-on-Thames.