REGULARS at the Crown in Minchinhampton are celebrating after it was named the best in the district.

Beer-drinking experts from the Stroud branch of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) decided that the Crown was top of the hops and presented the landlord with the Pub of the Year award.

The presentation took place on Saturday, and saw previous title holders, Miles and Lotte Lyster Connolly of the Prince Albert, hand over a certificate to landlord Richard Terry.

Tim Mars of Stroud CAMRA said: "Lotte and Miles Lyster Connolly, landlady and landlord of the Prince Albert on Rodborough Hill which was Pub of the Year for 2020, had specifically asked to take part in the proceedings so as to ‘pass on the baton’ to Richard—a remarkably generous gesture and a sign of the genuine friendship and mutual esteem that exists between the two establishments."

The Crown was bought by a co-founder of fashion label Superdry, Julian Dunkerton in September 2018 to add to his Lucky Onion group of hotels, restaurants and pubs.

The Lucky Onion team renovated the 18th century building, which originally opened in 1715, retaining the pub’s distinctive features while also adding signature design flourishes to bring The Crown up to date.

It reopened in 2019.

"This was a sensational result for the pub—the new kid on the block, the young pretender, only reopened in 2019, and in the 2021 Good Beer Guide for the first time," said Tim.

"What was extraordinary—and also unprecedented—were the number of ballots that included sometimes lengthy personal endorsements of the pub, and what its resurrection after a long absence means to Minchinhampton."

One CAMRA member noted: "The Crown is such a lovely local pub to have in Minchinhampton, we are so lucky that Lucky Onion took up the job of restoring a huge part of the village that has been so sorely missed, after being closed for nearly seven years."

And another wrote: "This pub has brought the life back into Minchinhampton!"