Chris Onions, a first-time pub operator from Poole in Dorset, has bought the Trusty Servant pub in the New Forest village of Minstead in Hampshire.
The food-led country inn –which recently won Cask Marque accreditation for its real ales - is located at the crossroads opposite the village green, which lies in the heart of the forest and is near the administrative centre of Lyndhurst.
The detached building offers six letting bedrooms, a main bar, a 34-seat restaurant, and an en-suite manager’s bedroom.
The gardens include a paddock and a barn that is used for functions.
The Trusty Servant emblem used on the old inn sign is part of the history of Winchester College and is based on an historic wall painting in the college kitchen.
The Winchester office of Christie + Co sold the leasehold off a guide price of £225,000 on behalf of Tony and Jane Walton, who are retiring after 10 years in licensed trade.
By Angela Frewin