HISTORIANS are calling on new owners to take on a Southampton pub which was closed after health bosses found traces of rat faeces in the kitchen.

Bevois Mount History group say that the Old Farmhouse, one of the oldest pubs in Southampton is vital to the city’s heritage.

They consider it to be a historical gem in a suburban setting.

The pub recently closed its doors after health inspectors found the kitchen was infested with rats.

A damning inspection of the premises found rat droppings in a food storage area and no hot water supply for the whole building.

Despite its neglected state, the Grade II listed building has many of its original features such as low ceilings, exposed beams and brickwork, wood panelling and open fireplaces.

It is even rumoured Oliver Cromwell stayed there in the 1650s.

Bevois Mount History, spokeswoman Ally Hayes, said: “I would like it to open up again, but with owners who are aware of its importance as a historical site and who are able to give it a proper profile.

“I think it is sad, it is a shame that so many are being lost to the community.

“What it needs is someone with imagination to take it on and draw people in.”

A report from the Food Standards Agency, who carried out the inspection, stated it needed “urgent improvement” and gave it food hygiene rating of 0 out of 5.

The 17th-century pub in Mount Pleasant Road was the only food establishment in the city to score a zero in recent times.

A spokesman from SeeSouthampton, Geoffrey Wheeler, said: “One of the problems in Southampton is that so many pubs have closed.

“When a place like the Old Farmhouse closes we are losing history.

“We do not appreciate something until it’s gone.

“The challenge is to make pubs commercially viable.

“Unless someone takes them on they go.”

Following the inspection by the Food Standards Agency, the former owners opted for a for voluntary closure and stopped trading.

The doors of the premises are now chained shut and rubbish lies strewn about its side entrance.