A group of four real ale enthusiasts from Reading will be taking over the town centre boozer as Cara Sheldrake and Chris Wells, formerly of The Alehouse in Broad Street, and Anne-Marie and Charlie Beatty, of The Grumpy Goat, join together for the venture.

The new licensees get the keys at the end of January and plan to add to the cosy freehouse with a wide selection of real ales and cheese and meat platters.

In the run up to opening in mid to late February the Grade two listed building is undergoing renovation to open up seating space and extend the garden into the car park.

More information will be posted on the pub's Facebook and Twitter feeds and the grand opening comes with a promise of homemade Scotch eggs.