A HAMPSHIRE country pub is currently undergoing renovations after being taken over by new owners.

Clive and Tanith Cummings purchased the Milbury’s Inn in Beauworth, near Alresford, in March.

They have taken over from the previous owner of 17 years.

The couple previously worked at a hotel in France before deciding to come back to the UK.

Hampshire Chronicle: The Milbury's pub is currently undergoing renovationsThe Milbury's pub is currently undergoing renovations (Image: Newsquest)Clive told the Chronicle: “We wanted to find a quintessential, English pub and the Milbury was right in the heart of where we wanted to live, and it’s got enough scope and potential to do a lot more to it eventually.

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“I started my life in pubs, and then I got into hotels. My parents used to own Amberly Castle in West Sussex and I watched them convert the castle from a private home into a country house hotel.

“I ran my parent's business for them with my wife, and then we moved to France and bought a Cistercian Abbey and we converted it into a wonderful hotel - when we did the project we were featured on the Channel 4 programme Escape to the Chateau DIY.”

Hampshire Chronicle: The pub has been taken over by Clive and Tanith Cummings, who said they are 'very excited' to openThe pub has been taken over by Clive and Tanith Cummings, who said they are 'very excited' to open (Image: Newsquest)The couple are planning on holding a soft launch for the pub at the end of November, after the renovations are complete.

Clive said: “We’re working on phase one at the moment, which is just a nice big tidy up. We’ve got a few holes in roofs that we need to repair, broken tiles, some very old cabling that needs to be changed and some very old kitchen equipment which needs changing as well.”

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Clive added that he and Tanith are “very excited” to open Milbury’s to the public, saying: “We’ve done very high-end hotels all our lives, and we want to come back to a beautiful English pub in the countryside.

“We’ll be very much focused on local, regional produce, with a good kitchen, and something we can be proud of and the local community can be proud of as well.

“It’s not going to be a chain pub, it’s going to be a free house, and we’re looking forward to it.”