Brewers call time on Horsham town centre pub... for the time being

The Olive Branch in the Bishopric closed on January 1.

But the iconic town centre pub will only be shut for a few weeks as new landlords look to move into the site next week.

In October south coast brewer Hall & Woodhouse, which owns the building, said it was hunting for a new business partner to run the pub with the current landlord stepping down after four years.

Matt Woodhouse, director at Hall & Woodhouse, confirmed a new ‘business partner’ had now been found and they would be taking over the pub on January 7. He added it was hoped the pub would reopen ‘within a week or so’.

On its website Hall & Woodhouse described the pub as a ‘chameleon in operation’ offering food for shoppers and workers at lunchtimes before turning into an ‘energetic environment’ in the evening.

The pub underwent a major investment in 2010 and plays host to two restaurant areas, front and backing seating areas, a kitchen and a bar area.