The Hare closes, while its pastures new for the Pheasant

Visitors to the Hare’s website are greeted with the following announcement: “It is with sadness that we have to announce that the Hare is due to close on Sunday, February 3, after lunch sevice unless we have found a potential buyer by this time.”
The Grade II listed former coaching inn dating back to 1630 has since closed.
Meanwhile, the Pheasant Inn at Shefford Woodlands has been sold out of administration and it, too, has closed - in this case, for refurbishment.
Most staff have kept their jobs but one casualty is Johnny ‘The Fish’ Ferrand, former co-owner with Robin Young, father of pop singer Will Young, who had stayed on during the administration period.
Under its former ownership the Pheasant Inn ran out of cash during late October 2012 after experiencing difficult trading conditions, despite Mr Young and Mr Ferrand having invested heavily in refurbishing and extending the original building to provide high quality accommodation.
Specialist operator Legacy took over and spokesman Andy Townsend said yesterday: “It’s true that Johnny has now left the business. The place is expected to be closed for about four weeks.”
The new owners have been named as Rupert Fowler, Tim Syder and Martin St Quinton.
The trio already own and operate two pubs in Hampshire; the Fox at Tangley and the Hawk at Amport.
New joint owner Mr Fowler said in a statement: “We are delighted to have secured the ownership of this prestigious pub and hotel which remains at the heart of the local racing, rugby and country sports communities. We look forward to taking the Pheasant to the next stage of its development whilst remaining true to its cultural roots.”