The Old Ale and Coffee House: Honouring family and community

They had already run multiple successful pubs in London, but Ed wanted to relocate his businesses closer to home.

They asked long-time friend and business associate Shane O’Neill to look after the pub, who said people in Salisbury quickly welcomed them with open arms and offers of help.

Shane said: “It’s just that openness, you know, and we experienced it when we first opened here. People were very helpful.

"We’ve got some great regulars that have been with us since day one. They got what we were doing; they tried to help us push it forward, always coming up with ideas.

"We love listening to people and talking to people. If somebody’s seen something somewhere else and says that would be lovely in your pub, then if we can, we make sure we do it.”

One big difference that sets The Old Ale and Coffee House apart is evidenced in its name. Shane said the idea was originally inspired by a pub in London that serves coffee.

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Shane said: “There is a pub just off King’s Cross in London called The Somers Town Coffee House. It’s a really quirky little pub and Ed saw that and said, ‘Well, it doesn’t actually look like a coffee shop, it’s a really good pub. There’s no reason why a really good pub can’t sell really good coffee.”

The Old Ale and Coffee House also has a large outdoor space in the back, which Ed was looking for in a pub. This space has been decked out with numerous flags and turned into a fan zone for people to enjoy football, rugby and other sports.

A large theme of the pub is family and community. Much of the photos and paintings seen on the walls of The Old Ale and Coffee House were created by or pay homage to people who supported Ed, Buffy and Shane in establishing the pub.

The huts outside also bear a family connection, with one bearing the name of Ed and Buffy’s eldest son and one bearing the name of Shane and his wife’s eldest son.

Upon the mantle are often four candles, in homage to Ed’s father’s favourite sketch from The Two Ronnies.

Shane said: “It’s all very personal. Everything here has got a story.”

This story is the latest in our series on the pubs in and around Salisbury and how they are coping in difficult economic times. 

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