Moody Cow in Upton Bishop listed as Asset of Community Value

The Moody Cow in Upton Bishop has been given the title after a nomination from Upton Bishop Parish Council, which means that if the owner ever wanted to sell the pub without a tenant in place, the community would be told, and local groups can ask for time to put together a bid.

However, the protection does not change who owns the pub or how it is run.

The parish council agreed to nominate the pub in June, when the long-standing landlord, Chris Burgess, announced his retirement and no new tenant had yet come forward.

Mr Burgess had run the pub for 15 years, and it was later passed to a new tenant under owners, Stonegate.

It approved the application in July and sent it to Herefordshire Council later that month, with evidence of the part the pub plays in village life, from supporting village events, hosting and maintaining the village defibrillator and providing space for village groups to meet.

There has been a pub on the site since at least 1871. Records from 1871 to 1939 name it the Lord Wellington, and it has been the Moody Cow since at least the early 1990s.

Councillor Mark Rusby, chair of the parish council, said: “The Moody Cow has been at the heart of Upton Bishop for generations, and we are delighted that Herefordshire Council has recognised its value to the community.

"We wish the new tenants every success.”