The Bell Inn is an attractive 16th century pub in the Kent village of Ivychurch, which is located five miles inland from the Kent coastline. The pub prides itself on serving real ales and home cooked food and has an excellent reputation, achieving the CAMRA Pub of the Year in the Ashford, Folkestone & Romney Marsh area on four occasions between 2010 and 2016.
 
Situated in the heart of this rural village, the pub attracts a mix of locals and visitors from further afield, and hosts a number of themed evenings, music events and an annual 3-day Beer & Cider Festival.  
 
The cosy country pub boasts many original features including wooden beams and a brick fireplace.  The internal restaurant, bar and lounge areas accommodate up to 65 guests whilst the ample garden with sheltered area can fit another 85 within its dining space.  The property also includes a four bedroom owners’ accommodation on the first floor.  
 
The new owner, Sarah Litchfield, is a first time pub operator who plans to build upon the success previously experienced at this Well run Country Pub. Prior to embarking on this journey, Sarah was an estate agent working in the industry for 15 years and then moved into the banking sector, working within one of the big high street banks. From here, in 2016, Sarah changed roles completely and went into a General Manager role in a pub, where she realised that she could own her own establishment. Sarah not only utilised our help with a commercial mortgage, but also enlisted the help of our Unsecured department in order to obtain a cash flow loan for the purchase.  Sarah comments,” I was put in touch with Christie finance through the commercial agent I was buying the property through. Delighted with the excellent service I received and would highly recommend them to anyone.”
 
Emma Vanson, Financial Broker at Christie Finance secured the funds for Sarah and comments, “It was a pleasure to work with Sarah throughout this process, it was great to see her passion for the business and her ideas for the future of the Inn. Especially looking forward to seeing what new food Sarah introduces and I wish her the best of luck!”
Rhys Cunnah our Unsecured Finance Consultant also comments on the deal stating that, “It was my pleasure dealing with Sarah and I wish her every success moving into her new venture.”