A BOSTIN time can be had at the new The Chapel House pub in Gornal thanks to its new Black Country born and bred management style.

The establishment in Ruiton Street, Lower Gornal, is thought to be the oldest in the town after being first registered as a drinking house in 1834 but used since at least 1820 by a group of local Methodists, known as the Gornal Ranters, who used the back room for their meetings, but it has now been given a new lease of life for 2016 and onwards after James Steven and Katie Ann took over the reins and reopened for business on Friday, August 26.

James said: "We reopened it, cleaned it up, refurbished it. It's a Holden's pub - the oldest pub, we think, in Gornal. It was first registered as a drinking house in 1834. People used to come drink beer and say prayers, and now they come and drink beer and swear, so it's kind of full circle."

Those familiar with Black Country drinking, music, and heritage will know James thanks to his tireless work as the chairman of the Black Country Beer Festival, musician in local indie band The Empty Can, and writer of the Black Country anthem. And now he is hell-bent on preserving the drinking history of the pub.

"The pub closed for basically a week while we tidied it up, but it's been in a state of hiatus for about a year - it's been thrown between different gaffers and stuff, but now the brewery [Holden's] have taken it back as a managed house," James said.

"It's never been a managed house before, and brewers are looking to do that a lot more because tenancies are expensive."

Managed pubs are run by managers who work for a pub chain, in this case Holden's, while the landlords of tenanted establishments rent the building and its fixtures from a pub company or a brewer.

"Even though it is as a managed pub we are working with Holden's to bring the pub back to its former glory. It just needed a bit of love. The Chapel House is going to get a total refurb and rehaul between now and Christmas and it's going to be the nicest little pub in Gornal," James added.

The Chapel House has introduced a new, frequently changing menu of food, including homemade ale cobs, baked using Holden's ale instead of water, and 'Gornish' pasties, live music Fridays, which sees The Empty Can make their debut in their home venue this Friday (September 16), Sunday jam nights, and occasional FIFA and poker nights.