Popular Northamptonshire pub reopens after break in and change in management

The Rose and Crown in Hartwell has opened its doors again after a break in that left the then landlord and landlady heartbroken and scarred.

Matt and Michelle Dixon – a long standing Hartwell family – have now taken up the baton to keep the village pub open after the building was boarded up following the damage caused by the break in.

The break-in happened in October 2022, after the previous landlord and landlady, Mark Ditchfield and Belinda Urwin had only just completely renovated and reopened the doors to an excited community. The incident left them financially and emotionally scarred.

The village of Hartwell has been without its pub since then so there has been a lot of support and best wishes to the new family that has taken over.

Michelle said: “I want to get the heart of our community back. The village needs a place to meet, drink and socialise and the village messages have been amazing. We can’t wait!”

Matt and Michelle have come from careers in retail and are ready to put their family stamp on the Rose and Crown. They live in the village and over the last 15 years of living in the village they have seen many changes at the pub.

Matt said: “We have some fantastic plans to keep this pub exactly what the village wants it to be and keep it affordable.

"There will be themed nights like steak and curry nights, BBQs in the summer and we are even looking at having brunches at the weekend for cyclists and walkers, especially with us being the closest pub to Salcey Forest.”

Michelle added: “This will be somewhere you can bring your children or just come on your own as a couple, we want to make this pub as inclusive as possible and a relaxing place to be.”

Michelle runs a pre-school music group called Music Bugs in Milton Keynes and will continue to work with this franchise. However, she will be in the bar too, supporting Matt. The couple is keen to keep the pub, work and family life balance healthy.

Matt is a drummer of his own band so there may be a chance to preview Batch 22 music in the future, with other live bands or acoustic sets.

The doors of the pub are now open but due to a burst water pipe, the kitchen is still not quite ready to prepare food but this is anticipated to be up and running in the next six weeks. Matt and Michelle have been able to source the previous chef from the Rose and Crown, Taff Moorland, so they know there will be some great food coming out of their kitchen.

Matt added: “I am a real foodie and love cooking myself. I plan to train with Taff and enjoy taking over more food prep tasks myself. The menu looks great and we will be offering take away too.”

The couple said: “There has been an overwhelming amount of support to get the pub open again and we are so excited to be giving the village a welcoming and relaxing place to be.”