The Sarah Mansfield, Willey

Image: © Stephen McKay Taken: 3 Sep 2023

This pub was renamed from the Plough in the 1970s apparently by the then licensee in memory of his grandmother. It closed down during the Covid pandemic and was sold to new owners who have gutted the interior but are now involved in a long running planning dispute with Rugby Borough Council; all work has been stopped. The pub made national news in the summer of 2023 when it was discovered that the owners were the same people that had recently purchased the Crooked House in Staffordshire from Marstons - that pub subsequently burnt down and was then demolished without permission, causing a huge outcry. At the time of writing two men have been arrested and remanded on suspicion of arson. Fortunately the Sarah Mansfield still stands but whether it will ever operate as a pub again remains to be seen. It is fair to say that local people feel very aggrieved. See https://www.warwickshireworld.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/rugby-village-pub-thrust-into-spotlight-amid-crooked-house-uproar-4255854.

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