A pub at the heart of its community has been taken over by a family-run business. 

Salhouse Lodge, in Vicarage Road, has been taken on by Colchester Inns which owns The Recruiting Sergeant and The Rising Sun in Coltishall, the Black Boys Hotel in Aylsham and The Bucks in Blickling.

The pub, which is currently being redecorated, will reopen in phases from mid-April.

The bar and rooms will open first, with the restaurant opening at a later date. 

Norwich Evening News: The Salhouse Lodge has been taken over by the Colchester Inns. Picture: Nicola ColchesterThe Salhouse Lodge has been taken over by the Colchester Inns. Picture: Nicola Colchester (Image: Nicola Colchester)

Elements of the pub will be kept, such as the sofas, but refurbished to match the modern, country feel of the group's other pubs.

Run by Nicola and Matthew Colchester, the Inns is a "real family affair".

Their son George will be leading the team at Salhouse Lodge, while their daughter Grace is set to finish university and help between new premises and The Recruiting Sergeant.

Nicola Colchester said: "The pub sits beautifully and is in such a nice spot.

"We are trying to make it a really nice space and an added thing for the village.

"We will mirror a lot of the things we do at the other pubs, while doing some things a little differently, such as the bar area being more for drinkers.

"There is lots to play with in such an exciting prospect."

The pub's large garden and patio area will continue to host live music, which was much-loved by locals, and campers will still be welcome in the pub's seven acres of land.

Colchester Inns has built up a reputation for its gourmet menus of pub classics featuring plenty of local produce. 

The Recruiting Sergeant, the group's flagship pub, has won a number of awards, including a Traveller Review Award from Booking.com, and is a finalist in the South Norfolk and Broadland council Business Awards 2023.