A landmark pub which closed last year is to be given a new lease of life after being taken over by restaurant owners.

The Aviator pub, just off the A249 in Queenborough Road, on the Isle of Sheppey, has been bought by Mehmet and Elvin Suzgun who run Mem’s Mezze in nearby Halfway.

When former owner Shepherd Neame announced it was shutting the boozer in January last year, it said it had been forced to close due to “ever-increasing utilities” costs.

The news was met with an outpouring of messages from regulars of the long-standing community pub, who praised its tasty food and cheerful customer service.

But customers can look forward to a new-look hostelry run by the husband-and-wife team, after they completed the purchase on Tuesday this week for £640,000.

The couple opened their bustling Turkish restaurant in 2018 after transforming the Halfway House pub.

While the converted Islanders, who have lived on Sheppey for around 20 years after moving from London, say they cannot reveal their plans for The Aviator just yet, they did confirm it will remain a pub.

“What’s the point of having two restaurants?” Elvin said, “Plus we like the history of the pub, so it will stay as a public house.

“We have been interested in the building for years but decided to go for it when we heard Londoners wanted to take it over.

“We wanted to keep it in Island hands as a public house, and after around three to four months [of contract talks] we have.”

They said the reopening will create around 20 jobs.

The mum-of-two says they will make the pub work by offering customers “quality service” and making the place “spotlessley clean”.

She added: “People are always looking for someone to spend a few hours or go for somewhere to eat so there is always demand.

“I just think of what I would want in a place that I would want to visit, and set my expectations there.

“Of course, it will need renovations, a really good cleaning, and we will need to tick people's boxes.

“We may not have run a pub before, but trading is trading; once you know the procedures, it's all the same rules.”

Formerly known as the Lady Hamilton, the establishment re-opened as The Aviator in 2007.

During the pandemic, an outside bar in the car park was converted into a drive-thru for takeaway food.

The following year the pub evolved again to become a fully-licensed wedding venue.

The Suzguns said a timeline of when the new-look boozer will open is yet to be determined.