A village pub forced to close during the Covid pandemic has reopened after a £150,000 revamp.

The Royal Oak in Mersham, near Ashford, had sat empty since October 2020 after struggling to stay afloat through the first lockdown and a succession of landlords.

But now new owners Kim and Robert Garrett, who have more than 35 years experience running pubs, have reopened the Grade II-listed inn.

The pair bought the facility initially with the hope of converting it into two homes.

However, villagers expressed sadness over the thought of losing the pub so the application was withdrawn.

A fresh application was then made to remodel the building to bring the pub back to life while turning part of the property into a three-bedroom home.

The couple threw everything into the renovation and the pub in The Street reopened on May 11.

“We have always had pubs - three in Hythe, one in Maidstone,” explained Mrs Garrett.

“We had The Bull Inn in Linton for 15 years then decided to retire.

“But this came up so we decided to buy the freehold three years ago and covert it into two houses, but we weren’t allowed to do that due to opposition.

“But we bought it outright and decided to convert it into a pub, back to how it was originally.

“It was in a bit of a state; there were rotten windows. It needed about £150,000 spent on it.

“It was quite the hub of the community so locals are thrilled to have this back open.

“With so many pubs closing, people need to know there are some survivors out there.”

New furniture was brought into the pub, the decor was refreshed and new toilets were installed, but the pub is ever so slightly smaller.

That is because one part of the building has been set aside to be turned into a three-bedroom home.

Mrs Garrett explained: “It’s only a little bit smaller in here - most people probably won’t even notice.

“That’s because of the plans for the house, but we are still waiting on the planning for that. We are in no rush.”

Finishing touches still need to be made to the garden and car park, but the pub is open until 11pm Monday to Friday, and 10.30pm on Sundays.

It serves pizzas, traditional pub grub and a Sunday carvery.

Mrs Garrett added: “We have got to put two electric car-charging points in the car park which will be good for the village.

“We will be doing takeaways too because in Mersham you can’t get many takeaways to come out here so we will do a service so people can take food home.

“There will be some seasonal specials coming to the menu too.

“We are also looking at reintroducing the pram race because there used to be one on Boxing Day from here to Farriers Arms before Covid.

“We did think about changing the name but I think it’s bad luck to change a pub’s name

“We were going to call it Oaks, but with the Coronation this year, and the branding of the crown, we kept the title.

“Lady Brabourne, the Queen’s cousin, lived in the village so the name also symbolises the village history.”

Up to 12 jobs have been created by the reopening, with the majority of staff employed from Mersham.