Wind of change blows through Ewshot as James takes over local

Glasses have been raised in a village near Farnham to welcome a new landlord.

James Healy has recently taken over at The Windmill in Ewshot.

And although he’s only 24, he insists he’s in it for the long term as he loves the pub and village.

“I’ve seen myself running this place for a long time and it came up at the right time,” said James, who was previously assistant manager at The Wyvern in Fleet.

“I want this pub to be the focal point of the village and I really want it to be involved in the community.”

James believes he was destined to become a landlord as he was “brought up around it” and his family come from Cork. The Healy Group runs several pubs around north east Hampshire and south west Surrey, while he previously worked at The Exchequer in nearby Crookham.

He was offered the job after the previous landlords relocated to the West Country.

James said he had been blown away by the welcome he received after opening on Tuesday.

He said: “It was lovely in here as it felt the whole village said hello and there was such a proper community feel.

“I was looking at the Facebook Meta business site afterwards and my welcome post was the most liked post The Windmill has ever had. I really like the village.”

His aim is to make The Windmill “half community pub, half fine dining”, with a new chef coming on board. Food is a big part of the vision, with an end-of-summer party earmarked for August 29.

He said: “I want to do a lot of events but good food will be the main thing.”