AN APPEAL has been made to save The Ship Inn at Keynsham amid concerns for the state of the historic premises.
The pub on Temple Street has been empty since it suddenly closed its doors in May 2023.
The owners – the Wellington Pub Company based in London – are currently advertising the lease through Bristol letting agents Fleurets.
Now local resident Jean Burnett is hoping interested people can come together to try to safeguard the pub’s future.
She told the Voice: “I have been very concerned for some time about the state of the old Ship Inn on Temple Street.
“This Grade 11 listed pub is decaying by the week, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. The windows have been smashed by local yobs.”
She added: “Many local historic pubs have been taken over by the community successfully, and this might be a way forward for The Ship. The town could be the community landlord, using volunteers to run the place.”
Jean is planning to post about the issue on Facebook, through the Keynsham Community Group, to try to drum up support for her idea.
The stone-built, two-storey property is believed to date from 1636. It has a large car park and two pétanque pitches in its garden, with owner’s accommodation on its upper floor.
The real-ale pub had previously won praise from CAMRA for having an interior of special national historic interest.
It reopened in August 2021 with new lessees after a lengthy closure because of the Covid pandemic.
The Ship Inn still has a Facebook page, with 850 followers, but the last post was in February 2023.
The Voice approached Wellington pub Company and Fleurets for comment about the state of the Ship and its future, but so far we have received no reply.
Pictured, smashed windows at the Ship Inn
