A WELL-established pub in the heart of Christchurch with two new owners at the helm – Thomas Tripp is our Pub of the Week.

The freehouse on Wick Lane, which dates back to 1750, has been a focal point of the Christchurch street scene for several decades

When Alison and Simon Wyatt-Budd called time at the bar for the last time, some residents feared that the town could lose one of its prized assets.

However, entrepreneurs and close friends Jason Giddings and Dave Burns had other ideas.

Once they heard about the pub, named after a famous smuggler, looking for a new landlord, they jumped at the opportunity.

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Jason, who also runs the Bournemouth Boating Services near Tuckton Tea Gardens, said: “We are both business owners, born and bred in Christchurch.

“It is the most renowned pub in town. To see an established pub like this to buy, it was perfect for us and too good of a business opportunity to miss.

“It is a very traditional pub in its appearances and provides a lot of locally sourced beers and food, but it is also family friendly and inviting.”

Jason and Dave have only been in charge for the past two weeks, having been appointed landlords on February 15, but already they have big plans for the place.

In essence, the pair, who often came to the pub as punters in the past, wish to keep things the same, but enhance its already distinguishing features – the pub’s live music and popular Sunday Roast.

“I believe what sets us apart is how often we have live music and the variety of acts that we have playing for us - and obviously our amazing Sunday Roast,” said Jason.

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“We will be hosting live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday lunchtime and we will also have live rugby on our TV screens.

“We also have our award-winning Sunday Roast which is extremely popular. If you don’t book a table, you are likely to miss out on it.

“We obviously take bookings when we can but for the weekends and Sundays in particular, we are almost always fully booked.”

Upcoming events at The Thomas Tripp include live music on St Patrick’s Day, a blockbuster weekend of rugby and a Mother’s Day Sunday Roast all in March.

Jason added: “We have our Mother’s Day roast coming up soon which we are almost fully booked for, and live music from Sixteen String Jack on St Paddy’s Day.

“On March 19, we will have a big day of rugby for Super Saturday with the last games of the Six Nations all being shown here.

“We also have a Soul weekend from April 22 to April 24, with live bands and DJ sets all weekend."