The idea
We are the Friends of the Crown Inn, working with Newcastle Parish Council to transform the grounds of our newly-owned community pub into an inclusive, eco-friendly garden. This vibrant space will feature sensory planting for all ages and abilities, wildlife boxes for swifts and hedgehogs, and eco-friendly elements like water butts and solar lighting. Designed with accessibility in mind, the garden will include wheelchair-friendly seating areas, a safe patio, and garden access to the pub’s toilets—vital for walkers on Offa’s Dyke National Footpath. Cyclists will benefit from racks and electric chargers, while a locally crafted gazebo will offer shelter. A produce honesty box will support local farmers, enhancing community ties. We believe this garden will promote health, wellbeing, and social connections for all ages, providing a welcoming outdoor space for locals, walkers, and cyclists to relax, and enjoy nature, whilst enhancing the roadside in our designated National Landscapes.
What we'll deliver
- Raised beds and planted hedging for safely bordering the garden area from parking
- Environmentally friendly new gravel resin for patio area safe for wheelchair access
- Patio area 4 picnic table including wheelchair access and front of pub 4 picnic tables
- Hedgehog box, swift boxes; 2 water butts and solar lighting; 4 sunshades
- Locally crafted larch gazebo for rainy days and larch archway to patio area
- Bicycle rack, bike rechargers
- Upcycled telephone box with local attractions, tourist information & seed exchange
- Flowers, herbs for pub kitchen, sensory plantation, hanging baskets
- Honesty box for local produce
- Resurfaced parking area, with clearly marked parking, safer for children & elderly & disabled parking space
Why it's a great idea
Our project will create an inclusive, eco-friendly outdoor space and a revitalised indoor venue, promoting sustainability, culture, and accessibility for all ages and abilities. The outdoor area will enhance biodiversity with sensory planting, wildlife boxes, solar lighting and water butts and encourage outdoor/indoor leisure, active travel with bike racks and electric charger and safe, accessible spaces with wheelchair-friendly seating & parking.
Indoors, we’ll refresh the function areas through community-led upcycling workshops, fostering pride and involvement. The space will host accessible cultural events, workshops, and social gatherings, supporting local artists, musicians, and artisans, driving visitors to our National Landscapes, increasing volunteering and community engagement. This project will create new community assets, reduce isolation, improve mental well-being, and strengthen local businesses by increasing footfall to our new, community-owned pub and surrounding areas.
Steps to get it done
- Secure funding
- Green Spaces: Revise project plan based on funding milestone
- Green Spaces: Building site manager meeting with project manager
- Green Spaces: Secure local contractors
- Green Spaces: Landscape patio, garden and parking areas
- Green Spaces: Build patio area
- Green Spaces: Gazebos, arch and planters delivered (local craftsperson)
- Green Spaces: Parking signposts and disabled parking
- Green Spades: Telephone booth placement and populate with tourist information and local environmental information
- Green Spaces: Order and delivery of picnic benches front and back of pub
- Green Spaces: Build raised beds & planting of hedges
- Green Spaces: Planting of wildflowers, herbs for kitchen, sensory plants, planters, hanging baskets
- Green Spaces: Install cycling rack and bicycle rechargher
- Green Spaces: Signs in garden for accessible toilets
- Green Spaces: Place hedgehog boxes and swift boxes
- Green Spaces: Place outdoor children's games (large jenga, etc)
- Green Spaces: Order & Place water butts
- Green Spaces: Install solar lighting
- Green Spaces: Honesty box for locals with extra vegetables/fruit/eggs
- Green Spaces: Fencing to block off Shed
- Green Spaces: Shed for garden tools & storage
- Green Spaces: Prepare for pub garden launch (media, events, publicity, etc)
- Green Spaces: Launch garden area
Our Community Vision is to have a long-standing asset that provides vital services to the Newcastle on Clun community, the wider local population and visitors to Shropshire. The pub closed its doors permanently in January 2023 and has been acquired by the Parish Council.
In January, 2025 the Parish Council were awarded Community Ownership Funds from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for the purchase of the pub; however, the grounds around the pub are in dire need of love and can bring much pleasure and enjoyment to our community and the many visitors we will have once again, with the Pub’s Big Opening in September 2025.
We’re excited to take this opportunity to transform the area to create a new pub garden for socialising, eating and parking area that is welcoming, accessible, green with plantation and wildlife friendly, safe for those driving, cycling or walking and attractive from the roadside, given our special place in a designated National Landscapes.
