Work underway to overhaul village pub sat empty for four years

Work has got underway to overhaul a village pub sat empty for at least four years. Caging had gone up around Rode Heath’s Royal Oak with the windows and doors boarded up.

But the Sandbach Road venue is set for a fresh chapter after being snapped up. The team at Congleton’s Brownlow Inn have confirmed they have taken it on – and want it to be a venue locals will be proud of.

The pub has been shut since at least 2021. Work is now underway on transforming it.

A post on the Brownlow Inn Facebook page states: “We are pleased to announce the purchase of The Royal Oak freehold in Rode Heath.

“We look forward to transforming this pub back into a ‘local’ that all Rode Heath residents will be proud of.”

The team has also set up a Facebook page for the Royal Oak and have shared images with the scene which greeted them inside as they start their efforts to get it back open.