Village pub + Community hub
The Silks on the Downs closed in 2020 at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown. The owner approached the parish council to see if there was any interest in taking it on as a community pub.
A team of volunteers came together to explore the potential, understand what the community wanted and ultimately launch a successful community share offer. The community did everything from knocking our doors to generate funds, running pop up and virtual events, through to getting the keys and undertaking the hard work of making the pub a warm and welcoming place for generations to enjoy.
In addition we were supported by a grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and in May 2022 we eventually purchased the pub.
Explore the history of the pub, the story of the refurbishment and what it means to be a community pub.
