Kennet and Avon Boating Community Website

The Barge Inn, Honeystreet is to reopen under the ownership of the Sinclair family. The pub and the camp site will be open soon.

Jen Sinclair said on Facebook on 16th March 2019: “We’d like to introduce ourselves as the new owners of the Barge. You may well know a few of us, but for those who don’t, we are Alistair, Sheila, Jen and Brendan Sinclair. We are so excited to get The Barge restored to its former glory. We’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support and we can’t wait to meet you all. (No opening time as yet, but you will all be kept in the loop). Cheers everyone”.

This announcement was met with many congratulations and offers of help. A few days later an ad for a full-time chef appeared.

The pub has an email address, thebargehoneystreet@gmail.com – so if you are interested in working for The Barge this is the address to contact. In a typical summer the pub has employed at least 15 part-time seasonal staff.

Photo by Garry Lee

A community campaign of liveaboard boaters working with local residents and Alton Parish Council succeeded in registering the pub as an Asset of Community Value, meaning that its use could not be changed. They also prevented the camp site being sold separately from the pub after they discovered the existence of a covenant. A smaller group led by liveaboard boaters also set up a co-operative aiming for a community buy-out of the pub, but did not manage to recruit enough investors. However it looks like the Barge Inn now has a more secure future and will once again be a meeting place for the boating community, crop circle enthusiasts and an eclectic range of other local people and visitors.

Watch this space for the opening date and be sure to come to the party!

The Barge Inn during summer

See also

http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/three-days-left-for-barge-inn-community-share-offer-invest-now/

http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/save-the-barge-inn-honeystreet-community-benefit-gig-31st-march/

Tags: Alton Parish Council, arts and culture, boating community, community, crop circles, the Barge Inn Honeystreet

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