One of Devon’s most historic pubs – the Three Crowns Hotel in Chagford - is to get a new lease of life after being bought by the South West’s leading family-owned brewery - St Austell Brewery. 

The community of Portloe and invited guests with long standing connections to the village’s pub joined landlord Mark Swannell recently to celebrate the Ship Inn’s 100 year anniversary as a
St Austell Brewery pub.

Staff from the past and present along with individuals with three or more generations of links with the pub were brought together to swap stories and photographs, as well as rekindle old friendships and start new ones, at an event to mark the Ship Inn’s special anniversary.

Mark Swannell, who took over the pub two years ago, explained how the event came about: “The Ship Inn holds a special place in the hearts of many people who live in the village and its 100^th anniversary as a St Austell Brewery pub seemed like a great opportunity to celebrate the strong sense of community in Portloe and thank locals for their custom.

“It was great to see wonderful old photos of some of the celebrations that have taken place in the pub over several generations and looking into the pub’s history took weeks of research and the census records provided a fascinating window on the past.  My partner Janet did a great job at making the preparations for the event and I was pleased to bring together so many old friends of the Ship Inn for a memorable evening.”

To mark the anniversary Mark Swannell and Portloe resident and St Austell Brewery Company Secretary Colin Stratton unveiled a commemorative Delabole slate plaque.

Marc Bishop, Trade Marketing Manager at St Austell Brewery, said: “Throughout Cornwall, St Austell Brewery pubs are always at the heart of the communities they serve and it’s wonderful to see a significant milestone of brewery ownership being marked in such a fitting way as a true celebration of village life.”

St Austell Brewery’s food champion, Paul Drye, has won national recognition for the way he has helped revolutionise the Brewery’s food business and driven its local sourcing policy. 

Paul was named HQ Food Champion of the Year, beating off competition from some of the UK’s leading pub companies to scoop the title in The Publican Food and Drink Awards, run by leading trade magazine The Publican. 

November 28th is set to be one of Cornwall’s biggest parties of the year.

St Austell Brewery’s acclaimed Celtic Beer Festival takes place on Saturday November 28 – and this year it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.

The 11^th annual celebration of real ale and live music is being hosted by St Austell Brewery in the unique surroundings of the old wine cellars and vaults beneath the Victorian brewery. In response to the huge popularity of the event over the last decade, this year the Brewery will be opening up extra space using its historic Rum Store to increase capacity at the festival for a further 200 people.

This year’s event will showcase a selection of more than 100 great beers, which together with a line-up of eight fantastic live bands from midday to 11 pm, promises to be a great day and night out.

Preparations for the festival are already well under way at the Brewery, where Head Brewer Roger Ryman is busy creating his now legendary selection of special brews which are always a major highlight of the event.

Jeremy Mitchell, St Austell Brewery’s Marketing and Communications Director, said: “The Celtic Beer Festival has gained an incredible following over the past 10 years and the reputation as Cornwall’s biggest event for great real ales and live music.  The demand for tickets has been so great that we’ve decided to open up extra space this year so that more people can join the party.  We’re looking forward to this year’s Celtic Beer Festival being our best ever and hope to raise lots of money for local good causes. 

The Celtic Beer Festival is organised and staffed by volunteers from the Brewery, together with suppliers, with all money raised going to local charities through the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust.

LIVE BANDS APPEARING AT THE CELTIC BEER FESTIVAL 2009 INCLUDE:

• Three Minute Warning
• Bucket Boys
• Dalla
• Scaramoose
• Tony Haven
• Big Guns
• Marble Fairy

Food will be provided by a team of Brewery chefs led by St Austell Brewery’s award-winning Catering Development Manager, Paul Drye – all using fresh Cornish produce.

The St Austell Brewery Celtic Beer Festival takes place between 11am and 11pm on Saturday November 28.  Tickets are £10 per person (available at the door) and include a polycarbonate commemorative pint glass, programme and three drinks tokens.  Extra drinks tokens are available at £1.25 for each half pint / £2.50 a pint.