Cheryl steps in to write the next chapter for Burton's historic Coopers Tavern
- Colston Crawford
- 36 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Staying in Burton for the latest article – and a chat with Cheryl Gibson, the new licensee of the town’s traditionally most historic pub, the Coopers Tavern.
If you know Burton at all, you know the significance of the Coopers and you’ll know that taking it on is not quite like taking on any other pub. It is the one picked out as the “must visit” by folks coming to Burton and the town’s brewing heritage oozes from every brick, while the remarkable kitchen servery, with beers poured straight from barrels on the worktop is something special.
A quick historical recap. The building, in Cross Street, was originally owned by William Bass and has been a house, a malt store and a bottle store. While it was not officially licensed as a pub until 1858, the board listing licensees hanging in the bar names one, merely as Wallace, from 1822.
It is, today, owned by Market Drayton-based Joules Brewery and there is some irony in that. Joules, when based in Stone, Staffordshire, had been bought and closed by Bass in the 1970s. The company was later relaunched and managing director Steve Nuttall fought a long battle to buy back the brand from what had become Molson Coors. In 2017, he did so for £500,000, signing the deal in the Coopers. Buying the pub itself tied things up beautifully.
So, while some people in the town still think of Joules as “incomers”, there is an indelible historical connection and Steve Nuttall’s passion for the Coopers is such that he has even had a replica built at the company’s Crown Wharf brewery tap in Stone.
People were alarmed, too, when Joules unveiled plans to extend the Coopers but that was into existing living quarters at the pub and the job was done so beautifully that old regulars, let alone newcomers, struggle to see the join. I well remember being open-mouthed at how brilliant the work was and I was not alone. Today, customers can sit in William Bass’s old meeting room for a drink and the history is writ large all around the walls.
And so, a licensee taking on the Coopers must get that it is not like taking on any pub. That Cheryl Gibson, understands just what she has got herself into comes over loud and clear. Cheryl, who moved in before Christmas, is the 24th licensee, although her name is still to be added to the board under that of Mandy Addis, who had the pub from 2017 until September.
Perhaps unexpectedly, apart from a short spell behind a bar, coincidentally in Joules’ home town of Market Drayton, Cheryl has no background as a publican – yet she comes over as someone born to it and the locals have taken to her, which is perhaps more than half the battle won.
Aside from that, the big thing she has going for her is an understanding of history and how to promote it, which is ideal for the custodian of the Coopers.
“My background is in putting on events for stately homes,” she says. “I think that counted when Joules interviewed me. I get that the licensee here is a custodian of the pub’s history.”
When Covid stopped her previous career in its tracks, Cheryl, from Stoke, trained in website production and online business promotion: “I loved it but sitting at a desk wasn’t me, I really missed interacting with people,” she says.
When the Coopers opportunity arose, neither she nor Joules were sure that it was the right fit at first.
She says: “I was looking for something temporary, initially, and they asked me to do it for three or four months. And then, within the first week or two, I decided I wanted to stay, I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
“The pub was still on the web site as available. People were coming to look around. And I was looking at some of them thinking ‘well, you’re not good enough for this pub!’
“Joules didn’t want the pub changed and, of course, you wouldn’t want to change anything, would you? There’s no pub like it. I have to say, Joules have been absolutely amazing with me.”
Nothing is ever perfect. The layout of the pub means that the actual serving of beers from that unique kitchen is not especially easy or practical. But the pluses plainly outweigh the minuses.
When we spoke a week or so ago, Cheryl was enjoying the fact that the previous weekend had been her busiest yet. She was preparing to sign a five-year deal to stay.
Her website skills are evident in relentless, enthusiastic promotion of what the pub offers – more live music than before is proving a success and pub snacks are starting o appear again.
Above all else, though, the Coopers is about history and beer and those boxes remain firmly ticked. Newcomers making a pilgrimage to Burton to visit the legendary pub will not be disappointed, while locals, as far as I can see, are comfortable that things are as good as they have ever been.