‘Essential’ work planned for Newport’s historic Bridge Inn
Details of a Shropshire brewery’s ‘essential’ refurbishment plans for an historic Newport pub have been announced.
The Bridge Inn, at Lower Bar was taken over by Wellington’s Rowton Brewery earlier this year and was closed for works to take place.
Now the company, voted Brewery Of The Year 2025 by Telford and East Shropshire Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), has announced on a council planning portal what the works to the Grade II listed inn will entail, if planners approve.
Planning agent Aidan Astle, of AHA Associates, in Horsehay, Telford, writes that repair work to the roof and chimneys are “essential to safeguard the building’s historic fabric.”
The Bridge Inn has been a licensed premise since 1747 and the roof work is needed to prevent water getting in. The defects are ‘urgent’, Telford & Wrekin Council has been told.
A survey has concluded that there was “negligible roosting potential for bats. But a consultant recommends a precautionary approach when removing building materials as there is “good foraging potential for bats and roosting potential in nearby trees” which may be disturbed.
Plans also include repainting the front and side, changing from black and brown to black and white to reinforce the pub’s “visual harmony with other historic buildings in the Conservation Area.”
New signs are also in the offing to “give the pub a refreshed identify.”
The Bridge Inn is of late 17th- and early 19th-century origin, with historic associations to Newport’s medieval mill pool, planners have been told.
“The works are primarily conservation-led and focus on halting deterioration, improving the condition of the historic fabric, and sustaining the building’s contribution to the character of the Conservation Area,” the planning agent said.
“The proposed re-roofing, chimney, and timber repairs will preserve historic significance, using appropriate materials and traditional methods.“
Work is also proposed inside the building and include a new front lobby and matching lobby door which will help it save money on heating.
The company is also proposing to install built-in timber booth seating with leather seat and backrest in the front section of the pub.
The agent says the proposals represent a “considered and proportionate response to the building’s condition and significance.
“The works are necessary to address urgent defects, improve the building’s long-term performance, and support its viable continued use as a public house – a key element of its communal value,” the agent says.
Rowton Brewery’s logo and merchandise is based around the Rowton Meteorite that landed in the village of Rowton in 1876.
The brewery’s website says it is believed to be the only iron meteorite that has been seen to hit the earth in the United Kingdom. It is kept in London’s Natural History Museum.
Story by David Tooley – LDRS
Pic: Google Maps
