Prior to its closure in 2021 The Britannia Inn was the last local pub serving the eastern part of the City of Wells. In 2024 The Britannia Inn was listed as an Asset of Community Value, opening up the opportunity for this important asset to be purchased by the community. East Wells Community Benefit Society was formed with the sole reason to see The Britannia Inn restored to its former glory and opened once again as a hub for the benefit of residents of East Wells and beyond
To purchase, renovate and refurbish the Britannia Inn, transforming it into a valued community Hub/Pub where locals can socialise in pleasant surroundings, enjoy a beer with friends, have a bite to eat with the family and celebrate birthdays and special occasions with everyone
Our beloved Wells pub is facing a critical moment, and we need your skills to bring it back to life. We’re calling on local tradespeople, material suppliers, and anyone willing to lend a hand. Whether you’re a carpenter, plumber, electrician, builder, painter, or can offer materials or general labour, your contribution is vital. Every skill and every hour volunteered will help us restore this community hub. Please contact us to pledge your support and tell us how you can help us save our pub, ensuring it remains a vibrant part of Wells for generations to come.
We are also keen to hear from professionals such as Accountants, Architects and Solicitors who may feel able to offer their services at favourable rates.
The Britannia Inn was constructed in 1879 by The Queens Cross Brewery. It is recorded that when it opened “Mr. Taylor (of the brewery) gave to all the workmen involved in the excellent construction of the building an excellent “roof raising” supper consisting of roast beef and lamb, leg of mutton and plum pudding with a glass of grog to finish off. Messrs. Slade, Woodburn and Collins and others contributed to the pleasure of the company by singing a variety of songs.
By 1890 The Frome United Brewery owned the premises, running into issues with the Inspector of Nuisance for Wells for “allowing the offensive washings from a trough to run into a gutter”.
By 1906 The Britannia Inn had “Four good bedrooms, two good sitting rooms, one kitchen and one bar. Outside there is a stable and stabling for two horses and one cart.”
Large numbers of people came to the house as they were visiting patients at the asylum.
The Inn was frequented by the asylum attendants and those who came to fetch corpses. Mrs. Lane catered for such visitors by providing liquid refreshments and hot meals.
Mrs. Lane was a widow who ran The Britannia for 16 years, but her family were involved for over 50 years.
In 1933 the Wells city boundary was expanded, and The Britannia Inn was no longer in the rural district of Wells but in the city.
A fire in 1979 caused damage to the roof after painters with blow lamps were thought to have set fire to a sash cord.
In 1994, permission was given for the construction of the skittle alley. In the same year, The Britannia Inn weekly raffle would raise money to send elderly folk on an outing.
Licensees over the years:
1912-1921 Mrs. Elizabeth Lane
1921-1936 Mr. Frank Meaker
1941-1968 Mr. Richard Loxton
1986 – 2021 Mr. Robert Rouse and his wife Karen
(Courtesy of local historian Clare Blackmore)
The EWCBS has been formed to purchase The Britannia Inn and secure its future for the benefit of the community. As of 30th April 2024, it is fully registered with the (FCA) financial conduct authority; registration number 9280.
The EWCBS will shortly launch a share offer to secure funds for the purchase. The purchase of
the minimum share requirement upwards will confer membership of the society, giving members a stake hold in the business. An interim Steering Committee was established in March 2024 (see below). It is not too late to join if you feel you have particular areas of expertise. On completion of the Share Offer the first AGM of the Society will be held, where existing members will retire and stand for re-election. This will allow all shareholders to stand for and to elect the Management Committee who will take the project forward.
From The Secretary:
Dear Shareholder,
With your support our share offer has so far raised nearly £100,000 – this is an incredible milestone and we want to thank every single one of you who has invested.
I apologise for the delay in updating you, and this is because the committee have been involved in protracted discussions with a local benefactor who we hope will help us reach our target and enable the purchase of The Britannia Inn.
There are some fine details still to be arranged and we would appreciate your forbearance whilst our negotiations continue. An outcome is expected in the coming weeks or by March 19th at the latest: meanwhile an open share offer will be available until that date for any new subscribers or any existing shareholders who wish to top-up their shareholding. As before, should we fail to buy The Britannia site, all shareholders money will be refunded in full.
We have also reached the stage where it is important to attract practical support from within the community and we are keen to hear from enthusiastic people who can offer the following skills, either pro-bono or at favourable rates:
Accountant; Architect; Solicitor; Surveyor;
Builder; Carpenter; Electrician; Plumber;
Decorator; Landscaper; Plasterer; Roofer;
Administrative; Bookkeeping; Marketing; Secretarial;
Interior Designer; Project Manager; Team Leaders; General Labourers.
Any ideas or suggestions are also most welcome – this is a venture where community involvement is paramount!
If you are interested and want to know more please contact: admin@eastwellscbs.org or speak to myself or our treasurer John Bowles on 07979 512575 or 01934 249130.
Thank you again for supporting our campaign and I hope to be contacting you with some good news in the near future.
Mark O’Callaghan (Secretary EWCBS)
Good news for our project.
Planning permission for alterations to the Brit and 4 additional dwellings has been refused by Somerset County Council by delegated powers.
This allows us to continue our drive to bring back the Britannia as a community pub for You!!!
16 days to go of the share offer.
The owners of The Britannia Inn in Bath Road Wells (Wellington Pub Company Limited) have submitted a Planning Application to Somerset Council to convert the pub into a detached four-bedroom house and to construct four further houses on the existing gardens, with access from what was the pub car park.
The East Wells Community Benefit Society was formed in 2024 following concerns from local residents that The Britannia may be lost as a vital focal point and meeting place for the local community. The pub was listed as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ by Wells City Council in January 2024 and the society has recently triggered a further six-month moratorium, preventing its sale to anyone else. The next few months are therefore crucial to the success or otherwise of the Save The Britannia campaign.
The Britannia is the only public house serving East Wells and the neighbouring villages, which have a total population of over six-thousand, and the vision of the Community Benefit Society is to recreate a welcoming pub and hub at the heart of the local community, owned by and run for the benefit of residents.
An initial Share Offer, enabling anyone over 18 to acquire a stake in the project raised nearly a quarter of the £350,000 needed to buy and renovate the site, and a second share offer has recently been launched. The minimum shareholding has been kept at only £50 to encourage as many people as possible to invest in and have a say in the running of their pub, although the committee hope that investors will contribute as much as they can afford. All funds received will be ring-fenced and refunded in full should the purchase not go ahead.
The Society is also promoting a series of events to publicise the campaign and raise additional funds and these have included public meetings and popular Quiz Nights. A new song, written and recorded by Mark O’Callaghan, a committee member, entitled “Remember the Britannia Inn” and accompanied by a video, will shortly be available. Anyone with relevant skills or ideas would also be welcome to join in the work of the society.
In their planning application the pub company have submitted a ‘Viability Study’ and a ‘Statement in Support of Application’, seeking to establish that the Britannia Inn is no longer viable to operate as a public house. EWCBS have commissioned their own independent reports which are at variance with those of the pub company, and are confident that ‘The Brit’ as it is fondly known locally can thrive once again under community ownership.
The Planning Application is available on the Somerset Council Planning Portal under the Reference: 2025/1762/FUL where comments can be left until 26th November.
