Shoulder Of Mutton, Osmaston, Derbyshire

Posted on:

The Shoulder of Mutton is located in Osmaston; a small village of around 120 residents, just over 3 miles from Ashbourne.Osmaston is an estate village, which has a primary school and post office. The licensee, Paul Cranstone, has run the pub for many years and his wife operates the post office from a small outbuilding adjacent to the pub car park.The licensees are active participants in community life, and wanted to build on the success of the existing post office through the addition of a shop, a service lacking in the village and surrounding area. The local community demonstrated their support for the new shop through completed questionnaires, and letters of support were received from the Parish Council and the Walker Okeover Estate. The new shop will mean that local people will not have to travel the 6 mile round trip into Ashbourne to purchase basic goods, and will also help the viability of the pub business by being made available to seasonal visitors and holidaymakers to the area. The project will also fund the provision of a computer with Internet access that will be used for community meetings and training sessions.

At present the post office is housed in a very small outbuilding adjacent to the pub. The project will relocate the current post office into a larger stand-alone redundant outbuilding, which will also incorporate a new village shop. The building is well located next to the pub car park and an ideal size to combine the two services. Planning permission was required, and the project works included; repairs to exterior of the building (which needed to be in keeping with the historic nature of the Conservation Area), full servicing and renovation of the interior of the building, together with the relocating of the Post Office counter and fitting out of the shop. The computer with Internet access was installed within the pub for community use. Financial support was provided by East Midlands Development Agency.

The relocation of the post office and the successful introduction of the complimentary shop has improved local services and provided benefits to the residents of Osmaston and the surrounding area. The project has brought a redundant building back into productive use, and has further strengthened the role of the pub at the heart of community life. The project has also provided local employment opportunities, as extra staff are required in the pub during shop/post office opening ours. Most recently, as a result of the Network Change Programme, the Osmaston post office has been retained within the network.

Total project capital costs (£12,509.25)
Applicant contribution (£3,127.32)
East Midlands Development Agency grant contribution (£9,381.93)

For more information telephone 01423 546165 or email enquiries@pubisthehub.org.uk