We visited an historic Ludlow pub which has become a vibrant community hub through hard work by the owners and a great drink selection

It's a place popular with people wanting a pretty location to live in, as well as popular with visitors looking to take a walk around and see the history of Ludlow, with plenty of buildings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

A number of these buildings have become prized retail and hospitality locations, with the Unicorn pub being a building with history and also blessed with a prime location.

Dating to the early 1600s, The Unicorn is a traditional, welcoming pub just a short walk from the town centre, tucked at the bottom of the hill near Ludlow Brewery on Corve Street, and is reached through an archway that opens onto a scenic garden beside the River Corve.

It has always been known as the Unicorn due to past links with Scotland (whose national animal is the unicorn) but had been closed for a long time before it was bought and given a new lease of life by Black Country Ales, as the pub chain had been extending its portfolio into Shropshire.

It is currently run and operated by landlords Neil Ainsworth and Natasha Wood, who took over in May when the pub reopened, with Mr Ainsworth saying that he had been attracted to the idea of running a pub in Ludlow.

He said: "I've been connected with Black Country Ales for a number of years and I've been wanting to do an open up for them, having been in the trade for 35 years, and Ludlow seemed like a really good move to me as what's not to like about Ludlow?

"I go from pub to pub and I'm quite nomadic, so I start them up and then do a couple of years before going somewhere else, so I joined forces with Natasha and this was a good opportunity for us.

"The Unicorn popped its head up and we jumped on it and it's been a great eight months so far as we've worked to make it successful and we want it to be successful in the summer and winter and I think it appeals to a wide cross section of people."

The work by Black Country Ales saw the pub sympathetically restored inside and out, with original features retained throughout. 

Two rear rooms were brought back into use as additional drinking areas or meeting spaces, and the garden patio restored to offer a pleasant spot to enjoy a summer’s evening.

Inside, the pub has a timeless feel, with low beams, wooden floors, hanging hops and a large open fire providing warmth and character in the colder months.

Being a Black Country Ales pub, people can find Pig on the Wall, Bradley's Finest Golden and Fireside on the hand pulls, as well a fine selection of IPAs, pales ales, ciders and stouts, plus homemade cobs, pork pies and scotch eggs at the bar.

Mr Ainsworth said the pub had also become popular due to the Unicorn Pizzas stall outside, which offered a large range of homemade pizzas for people to buy and eat on the patio.

He said the Unicorn had given him a platform to build a business and make the Unicorn a must-see venue for visitors and regulars alike.

He said: "I liked the name and I will always take pubs on because of the name, so the Unicorn seemed like a good one to me.

"Additionally, the Black Country Ales investment in the pub has given me a platform to really work on our business and we've been able to add bolt-ons like the pizza station, so all this gives me the opportunity to develop a strong, successful and sustainable business that gives me the lifestyle I like.

"I know that running pubs is not an easy thing and you have to give a lot of your soul to the business to make it successful, so Natasha and I work very closely with the pub and spend a lot of time at it, developing each part of the core business.

"We've worked to build that business and that relationship with the customers and that has meant those customers have become friends and we feel valued and appreciate them and, in return, they appreciate us. To me, that's what pubs are all about."