A SALISBURY-based business owner has ridden to the rescue of an historic city centre pub which was in danger of closure after reading a report in the Journal.

The Coach and Horses has been shut since the beginning of July, but an article last week highlighted a number of pubs in the city which were under threat due to high rents and business rates.

Andy Grigg, who also runs Cranes Wine Cafe on Crane Street, decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run the pub and, after negotiating down the price with the brewery, snapped up the lease on Monday.

Work is taking place this week to bring the old coaching inn back to usable condition ahead of Friday's reopening and in time for the bank holiday weekend. A full refurbishment is planned for the new year.

Mr Grigg said: “I was reading the article in the Journal which was very touching and I thought made the point that Salisbury is losing its independents.

"So, as an independent, I wanted to step in to keep the history going.

“We couldn’t let this pub go to rack and ruin. We want to bring it back to being a local.”

Mr Grigg said he visited the pub on Winchester Street as a boy of 14.

At that time it was open-plan with a stable area for horses as well as rabbits and pheasants kept in the garden.

“I hate the expression 'upmarket', but we want a good quality pub/dining experience,” he added.

Executive chef Liam Mason added: “What we don’t like is when you are going out for a roast dinner and you are paying £14.

“We want to offer it for £10, but we are confident in our product that the quality will still be good.

“It will be the same concept as Cranes but just in a different marketplace. We will use local suppliers and all goods will be sourced as locally as possible.

“We have all worked in the area for years and we wanted to give it a go.”