THE new owners of the Methuen Arms in Corsham have promised to keep the country pub and hotel in the same style after purchasing it last week.

Liberation Group, a West Country Brewing and pub company, announced they had bought the award-winning pub, renowned for high quality food and customer service, as their 100th enterprise on Friday.

“We are delighted that the Methuen Arms is our 100th pub," Mark Crowther, CEO of Liberation Group, said. "It is special and is a perfect example of the high-quality estate that we are building in the West Country. As the pub's previous supplier, we had a chat to Martin and Debbie Still and they decided that it was the right time for them to leave and we wish them all the best for their next venture. We have taken on their staff and it is very much business as usual."

The Liberation Group, who also bought the Wiltshire Yeoman in Trowbridge a few weeks ago, hope to continue expanding the Methuen Arms so that it can continue being a multi-purpose country pub and hotel.

He added: "We love the Methuen Arms because it is such an incredible pub, restaurant and hotel and it comes with planning permission for more rooms so we will certainly be looking to act on that in the second half of this year."

The 5-AA-Star standard hotel has previously topped the bills as the Best Dining Pub in Wiltshire in last year's Good Pub Guide and the new owners hope to continue that success by enlisting the help of chef Leigh Evans and his team from Combe Grove in Bath.

Mr Evans said: “The Methuen Arms and Butcombe have a deserved reputation for high quality food and terrific service standards which is why I have joined. I intend to take the food to a new level using the best local produce, being creative without losing the traditional dishes that our customers love."