A landlord has expressed frustration after discovering a structural problem which has delayed the reopening of his pub.
Paul McAstocker and his family moved into The Swan at Hoxne near Eye - an idyllic Grade 2* listed pub which partly dates back to the 15th century - back in February.
He is planning a garden party for locals this Saturday - and is reassuring customers that the pub will reopen after its closure in September last year following the exit of the previous tenants.
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He hopes to partially reopen around mid-July - avoiding the bar area where the problem beam is.
He has already spent a "considerable amount" installing a commercial kitchen and new bars, fixtures and fittings and putting in damp proofing.
"There was nothing there - it was stripped out," he said. "I just want to bring it back to its natural form.
"This is such a beautiful building. The bar is gorgeous, the ceilings are beautiful and the fire place is insane."
Paul, wife Rebecca Smithson and their two girls aged nine and five have now settled into their accommodation in the upstairs area.
His daughters have started at school in Eye and Paul is dividing his time between renovating the downstairs ready for opening and running his pubs management business - Twenty6 - in London.
His hope was to have The Swan up and running by now, but an ancient beam in one of the bar areas which appears to have shifted position is a source of concern and he is in negotiation with the building's owner about it.
The pubs professional manages four pubs in north London - two of which he leases from pubs group Stonegate and two from Star Pubs and Bars which is owned by Heineken UK.
The Swan Inn closed last year after the previous landlords' licence was revoked when cannabis was found in an outbuilding.
Hoxne Post Office and shop closed in September 2024 after the postmaster resigned and has not reopened.
The post office building was also home to tea rooms, bed and breakfast business and a delicatessen. Greengold cafe on the outskirts of the village is now the only local amenity left - apart from the village hall.
Owners Stonegate offered the pub up for lease last year and the couple snapped it up with the aim of bringing it back to life. Paul started work on the building in January.
They have appointed a general manager, Hannah Webster, and are awaiting news on their structural concerns.
"There's a structural beam that has become dislodged in the main bar. I don't know how long it had been like that," he said. "I brought in a structural engineer and they said it needs work."
The couple decided they wanted to move out of London last year, he said.
"We wanted to find somewhere out of the commuter belt but we wanted to have somewhere commutable to London," he explained.
"We visited the village and we looked at the schools and kind of made a choice around the schools and the area.
"Then when we saw the pub it all fell into place because the pub is beautiful and the area is lovely."
As the pub was closed it presented a chance to make their mark and breathe life into it, he explained. They now occupy it on a minimum 10-year lease.
"To start brand new and put our stamp on it that was what was appealing," he said.
Paul is originally from Corby in Northamptonshire and moved to London 20 years ago aged 22.
He has spent most of his life in the hospitality industry and he and Rebecca - who comes from a fashion background - originally ran an event bar business.
With the process of working out what needs to be done with the beam likely to take time, Paul says he is now keen to get the rest of the pub open.
"We are going to trade the rest of the pub and garden," he said. "Nobody wants closed pubs."
He added: "I have been reluctant to open without having all of it open but now I just want some of it open."
The garden party they are planning this Saturday is aimed at reassuring locals. "The aim is to show people that we are actually doing the pub up and we are going to open it," he said.
"I have never opened a pub that's had so much positive response. Everybody really, really wants it open.
"I actually think they have been super patient when you consider the shop and the pub have both gone. People have been quite supportive - they have reached out."
He added: "I love pubs. I think in a world that we spend online, where everybody has their head in a computer or online, pubs are the last place you can just see each other.
"First and foremost this is a business but it feels very different to what we have done in London because we are going to be so engrained and we are going to live here."
The Swan Inn will be holding a garden party on Saturday, June 13, with an outside barbecue and a reduced bar menu from 1pm to 8pm.
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