Ambitious village pub owner takes on second venue and hopes to find out exactly what regulars want
The ambitious owner of a village pub has taken on a second Northampton venue and is committed to finding out exactly what regulars want to see moving forward.
Mother and daughter duo Michelle and Cherelle Cobley run The Wooden Walls of Old England in Collingtree village and took over the pub in August 2023.
The pair ran a few pubs across the county for around six years before taking a decade-long break for Cherelle to bring up her son.
That 10-year break came to an end when they took over The Wooden Walls of Old England, and were passionate about developing a family venue.
The team creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all visitors and have worked hard to rebuild a sense of community after the pub had been shut for some time.
A year-and-a-half on, Cherelle and Michelle knew it was the right time to put their own stamp on the pub and gave it a transformation.
They kitted it out with new carpet and furniture, and were passionate about adding a modern twist while maintaining the traditional feel of the 600-year-old building.
“We’ve had a really good year,” Cherelle told the Chronicle & Echo. “We’ve tweaked our menu to add homemade pies and hearty meals and it’s gone down a storm.
“Towards the end of summer as the garden started calming down, we had it all rebuilt and redone. A big lump sum of money went into that and it’s now a nice area to sit with heaters. There’s also a new children’s play area, with swings and a slide.”
The addition of the new play area was built and donated by regulars of The Wooden Walls of Old England, with the aim of adding to the village community.
Following the refurbishment of the whole venue, Cherelle said she believes The Wooden Walls of Old England is one of the best and cosiest pubs she has been to – and she is not biased because she owns it.
“We’ve managed to bring the community back together,” said Cherelle. “The pub is clean, inviting and the staff are always on top form and friendly. The level of food is at a high standard and offers quality over quantity.
“We’re not somewhere you can just stumble across and we do believe we are now giving people a reason to come to our small village pub.”
Cherelle has made the exciting leap to take over The Queen Adelaide, located in Manor Road in Kingsthorpe. The opening night was November 14 and she has got a good feeling about the future of the venue.
“I want to get my feet in the door and introduce myself to the loyal regulars,” said Cherelle. “We’ve shrunk the menu and want to get a feel for what people want. We’re trying to bring things that keep the community connected and strip it back to basics.”
This includes a quiz night and meat raffle every Sunday, as well as choosing a dog of the month – which was a customer favourite under the previous owner.
One side of the venue is dedicated to watching sports, with the other kitted out with an open log fire to provide a cosier atmosphere. As a tight-knit family, Michelle and Cherelle will continue to support one another with both venues – but The Queen Adelaide is Cherelle’s lone project.
For more information, visit the Facebook pages for The Wooden Walls of Old England and The Queen Adelaide here.