'Remarkable' Herefordshire pub up for sale after 53 years

The Cross Keys, set off the A465 Hereford to Bromyard road at Cross Keys, is on the market with commercial agents Sidney Phillips with offers over £1,100,000 invited.

The freehold pub has been in the hands of Chris and Sandra Corbin for 53 years.

It includes a characterful open-plan bar with exposed stone walls, beams, and two working fireplaces, alongside a skittle alley, gardens and car parking, and four-bedroom owners accommodation. 

The pub currently turns over £154,000 per annum from wet sales only, the agents said, with a net profit of £48,000.

Chris and Sandra Corbin at the 50th anniversary celebration in 2021. Image: Charlotte Moreau

The Corbins celebrated 50 years behind the bar in 2021, making them the longest-serving tie-free landlords in the county.

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Dozens of locals dressed as their favourite Disney characters descended on the pub on August 13 that year to mark the anniversary with the couple, who themselves attended in Pirates of the Caribbean dress.

Chris Corbin was one of the youngest licensees in the county when he took over the Cross Keys Inn at Withington from his wife's parents at the age of 24.

The pub does not serve food, with the occasional weekend exception of filled rolls, but despite that, it remains a firm favourite among locals, with an ever-busy bar on both weekend and weekday evenings.

And it is one for the real ale fans too, serving up a selection of local ales and ciders.

Mark Haslam from Herefordshire CAMRA said after the 50th-anniversary celebrations that the Cross Keys is a "remarkable survivor".

"It’s how so many Herefordshire village pubs used to be," he said.