A 17th century village inn is to be brought back to life after closing five months ago.

The King’s Head in Church Street, Wye, shut in winter when Shepherd Neame let it go after more than 20 years.

The pub was put up for sale for £525,000 in February, having been part of the brewery’s tenanted estate since 2000.

It came as manager Nicholas Maclennan left his position to take over the running of No. 4 Wine Bar and Tapas just 100 metres away in Upper Bridge Street.

Having remained closed ever since, The King's Head will reopen next year under Contemporary Pubs, a family-owned business set up in 2019.

The company is run by husband and wife Will and Nadine Sheldon, and the couple already oversee The Tiger Inn in Stowting, Marquis of Granby in Alkham and The King’s Arms in Elham.

The Sheldons hope to offer punters gastro food and locally-sourced beer and wine, when The King’s Head opens in 2025. An exact date has not yet

Mr Sheldon says: “We love pubs and recognise the positive role they play in communities across Kent.

"The purchase of The King’s Head demonstrates our commercial confidence in the future of village pubs and our team.

“We sensitively breathe life back into pubs, and once again make them great places to spend time eating and drinking with friends and family.

"Critically important is having a team who are highly trained and motivated to deliver the best quality local food and drink offering.”

Since 2020, The King’s Head has changed hands four times, when long-term and popular landlords Mark Lightford and Scott Richardson left.

The King’s Head name itself can be traced back to 1678, with the Grade II-listed building believed to be from the 1870s.

Mrs Sheldon says the team want to maintain The King's Head's chilled, rural atmosphere.

“Each of our pubs provides the perfect opportunity to explore and enjoy our beautiful Kent villages and then experience a relaxed, friendly pub environment with great food, drink and service," she adds.

"We’re looking forward to opening The King’s Head and bringing it back to the community of Wye.”

The property comes with seven en-suite bedrooms upstairs and will continue offering overnight accommodation.

The Contemporary Pub team is now drawing up refurbishment plans for the Wye pub, which has dining capacity for 40 people indoors and 40 outdoors.

A planning application is expected to be submitted by the end of the year ahead of its opening in 2025.

Residents, though, say simply reopening the inn will do wonders for Wye.

Upper Bridge resident, Étienne Pradier, has lived in Wye for more than 20 years and says it is refreshing to see a new business open rather than close.

The 59-year-old explains: “It’s definitely something I am excited by.

“It used to be a very good pub and was very lively so it’s good news.

“There is a good number of rooms, so I would think it would help our small businesses.

“But it will also improve the ambience of the street which has seen things disappear over the years.”

Alison Shepherd, 55, echoes Mr Pradier’s views.

She says: “I’ve heard the pub could be reopening.

“Assuming it does, I think it will breathe some great life back into the village.”