Historic village pub listed months after re-opening

A VILLAGE pub has been Grade II listed.

The Plough in Shiplake Cross was awarded the listing by Historic England following an official visit in September.

Jill Sikkens, who bought the pub in May last year and re-opened it in December, said she was “very pleased”.

She renovated the building, parts of which date from the 1600s.

Mrs Sikkens, said: “Preserving this beautiful building was always at the heart of our decision-making.

“The charm comes from the varied yet connected features and details all around the building.

“I like to think that past landlords would be very proud of what we’re doing now.”

The 44-year-old worked with historic buildings consultant Ruth Mullett, of Worlledge Associates in Oxford, who advised her during the renovations.

“We worked with historic consultants because it was important to us to restore and preserve the building as best we could,” she said.

“The core of the building is from the 1600s and we didn’t really touch that part, we refurbished the later Victorian part.

“It’s quite a miracle that the oldest part stayed intact. It has been a pub since 1755, through however many owners it has had. Woodwork and beams and lathe and plaster — it is quite something.”

The listing process had begun before Mrs Sikkens bought the pub, when it was twice put forward as an asset of community value by Shiplake Parish Council, and Historic England was informed.

At the Victorian end of the building, which features the main entrance, mouldings and woodwork have been reinstated.

Mrs Sikkens said: “The biggest transformation is in the washroom area. That part of the building is very old.

“Originally I wanted a glass ceiling in there but the budget didn’t allow. The beams are really twisted and beautiful and the builder managed to raise the ceiling to expose one in each bathroom.”

Mrs Sikkens, who is originally from Nova Scotia in Canada, said the history of the pub had been one of the elements that attracted her to it. Before taking over The Plough she had been a part-time interior designer and stay-at-home mother to her children, who are aged 11 and 14.

She said: “It has tons of character. With the location right on the corner of Reading Road and Plough Lane, you can picture horses coming from Reading to Henley.

“A customer said it would make a beautiful house but I don’t think so. The spirit of the passing through pub remains quite strong.

“Being foreign, the history of some buildings is quite special and beautiful to me.

“You need to preserve the storytelling. If it’s all housing you might as well have North America. We’re very pleased it has been listed.” The pub was previously owned by Ryan and Liam Simpson-Trotman, who run the nearby restaurant Orwells and bought it in 2021 when they realised it was at risk of being lost forever and had planned to re-open it.

Mrs Sikkens and her Dutch husband had been customers of the restaurant and had spoken to the men about investing in the Plough so when they decided to focus solely on the restaurant she decided to take it over herself.

She said: “My husband and I love to entertain and be social, so I think we thought we would do something in hospitality but nothing this serious. But it’s more rewarding. If you’re going to do something, do it 100 per cent, which we are.

“My husband is very supportive. He and the kids will come over for supper if I’m working. They know the team and some of the customers already, so it’s a family affair.

“We’ve had a lot of fun. It’s not without its stresses but fun is the biggest adjective I’d use.

“Having the pub feels important. When we got it and the council explained it had to be a pub and you can just have a drink not only with food, it was quite a funny idea as a North American.

“People can just come in and have a cup of tea or a beer. It’s really important, especially after covid, the push to come together and be together.”

The pub, which used to be called the Plowden Arms, had been closed since previous owner Karen Rackham left in January 2019.

In 2020, Heritage England, a Chinnor developer, made an unsuccessful application to convert the pub into eight homes.

South Oxfordshire District Council said the pub was “an essential community facility” and should not be lost to the village.

However, attempts by the parish Council to have it made an asset of community value were rejected due to a lack of evidence about its use for community events.

The pub was previously owned by
Brakspear.