We visited a south Staffordshire pub which has survived a car crash to remain a vibrant community hub

Whether that is through the pub closing for a renovation or through a change in ownership, losing a pub for a short time can affect people as they lose their meeting point or safe space.

This is something which happened to the Old Bush Inn in Swindon, a village based in south Staffordshire on the border with Shropshire and overlooking miles of open countryside.

The pub, which has been part of the community for more than 300 years, was left severely damaged and unable to run for six weeks after a car drove into it at the end of October last year, leaving the main bar area in pieces and the fire place dislodged by about six feet.

Despite the damage, the pub, which is owned by Admiral Taverns, was able to rebound and reopen in mid-December, ably led by landlady Clare Marsh, who said she had been running the Old Bush for about nine years.

She said: "I had been working at the Bridge pub in Kingswinford, but as a Wetherspoons was opening up the road, I felt like it was time to move on.

"We'd been driving in the area and seen that this pub was shut and I just thought about what a lovely little village this place was and how the pub was in a prime location, so we decided to ask about it.

"A friend had already told me that they'd looked at it and he wasn't interested, so I had a look and I just thought it had a lot of potential, being a nice little country pub on the gateway to the countryside, so decided to go for it as it just felt right."

Ms Marsh said the owners Admiral had been very helpful all the way through her time running the Old Bush, particularly when during the period after the car crash.

The Old Bush has the feeling of a traditional village pub, with snugs and comfortable seating which runs around the pub, with the bar set in the middle opposite the fireplace, and a conservatory area around the back of the pub.

Ms Marsh said the pub had a lot of regulars, many of whom were delighted to return after the pub reopened, and said it was also a place where new people were welcomed straightaway.

She said: "Everybody was really happy to come back from our regulars, but we also had a lot of new faces come in too, so in a roundabout way, we really benefited from the accident.

"It's always been a friendly pub and the regulars who drink here will always speak to new customers, whereas in other places, you might find no one talks to you.

"It's something I've always pushed, to give people a warm welcome, but the regulars do that as well and it works out as it makes you want to come back because they feel the pub is so friendly."

The pub is a wet-led pub, with at least four hand pull ales on sale, from Greene King IPA to Hobgoblin, as well as local favourites like Holden's and Enville Ale, plus a good selection of lagers and ciders and a wide spirit selection, which Ms Marsh said was based on what locals liked to drink.

The Old Bush Inn has been a place for food in the past, but has not been able to offer a full offering since the car crash. 

Ms Marsh did say that there was still the popular Sunday lunches available, plus a selection of crusty cobs and other bars snacks, and said the plan was to have the full pub grub menu back up and running by the middle of February.

She said the Old Bush meant a lot to her, saying that when it was closed, she realised how much she missed it.

She said: "As silly as it sounds, when it was closed, I started to realise how much I missed it.

"It's been my work and life for nine years and the funny thing is that people moan about their jobs, but when it gets taken away from you, you do find out how much you miss it and it was an upsetting time.

"We've made it through Covid and the crash, so we make it through anything."