How clean is our Pewsey pub? (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

How clean is our Pewsey pub?

12:02pm Thursday 26th August 2010 in Local By Nigel Kerton

TV charlady Aggie Mackenzie gets to work in The Barge’s kitchen

One of Britain’s best-known charladies led a TV clean-up of the Barge Inn at Honeystreet on Tuesday as villagers celebrated taking it over.

Aggie Mackenzie, who appears with Kim Woodburn in the TV’s How Clean is Your House?, joined Devizes MP Claire Perry and a mop and bucket team of volunteers just 24 hours before the first pints were pulled on Wednesday.

A community group took over the pub and its camp site from June and Adrian Potts who ran it for 17 years. In that time it became the official HQ of the West Country’s crop circle watchers.

The couple have retired to Urchfont and the pub, which is 200 years old this year, will continue to be managed by Alan Bowery with the existing staff.

Trustees director Terry Kemp said: “At 5.20 on Monday we had a phone call from our solicitors saying: You now own a pub!’”

Villagers decided to try taking it over about two years ago when they learned Mr and Mrs Potts were to retire.

In May the Gazette was first to reveal the project had won a Big Lottery Fund windfall of £270,000 to buy the lease.

The Barge needed some TLC and the volunteers joined the TV star, Claire Perry and her 11-year-old daughter Liza, and got to work.

Mrs Mackenzie concentrated on the basement kitchen. Scrubbing away at the gas stove, she turned to camera and said: “Maybe when we get the top ten layers off it will be shining.”

Mrs Perry said: “It’s fantastic to see so many here but it will be keeping it going and more importantly using it that will make it a success.”