Red Oak Taverns and new licensees Russell and Michelle North have given a new lease of life to The Bull, an historic pub in Berkhamsted.

Following a six-figure investment, the pub, which had fallen into disrepair, has been brought back to its former glory and re-opened.

Bull BerkhamstedThe Bull was bought by Red Oak Taverns in 2015 as part of a 146-pub portfolio purchased from GRS. The running of the pub is a family affair, with three generations involved in operating the business and serving customers.

Mark Grunnell, director of Red Oak Taverns, said:  “It’s great to be able to breathe life back into a fantastic historic community pub and is a perfect example of the success of the collaborative approach on which we pride ourselves, benefiting us and our tenant partners.

“Over the past six years, we have built our portfolio from 32 to 170 outlets and we are now on the acquisition trail, having transformed many unloved pubs back into thriving concerns in the heart of their communities. We’ve achieved this through investment and working together with our licensees.”

Michelle North said: “We worked very closely with Red Oak Taverns to bring The Bull back to life.  We have installed a new kitchen, created a decking area which can seat 50 people and will be fantastic in the summer, as well as totally re-furbishing the interiors.

“Red Oak Taverns has been great to work with throughout the whole process, listening to what we wanted and helping create the welcoming atmosphere that we desired.”

The Bull backs onto the Grand Union Canal.  Archive records show that it was in use as a pub as long ago as 1535.

Home-prepared food is served daily and the couple’s son, Jake, is the bar manager and has created a cocktail menu that is proving extremely popular with customers. Michelle bakes a variety of cakes on the premises, with a range of teas and coffees also on offer.