New landlords are breathing life back into an historic Malvern pub.

Laura Whalley and Aaron Mason took over The Unicorn at the end of July and have already been working hard to spruce up the boozer.

The front of the building has been given a lick of paint, new carpets are being installed next week and the couple are in the process of renovating the kitchen.

Malvern Gazette: The front of the building has been paintedThe front of the building has been painted (Image: NQ)

“The kitchen had not been open in years so it was very rundown, we’re pretty much starting from scratch,” said Laura.

“We’re probably looking at the end of November or December to get it open, then we’ll be looking at offering traditional pub grub, basket food - nothing too fancy.”

The couple, who run the pub alongside manager Sarah Myers, are aware of The Unicorn’s unique place in Malvern’s history.

The Belle Vue Terrace pub is one of the oldest buildings in the town centre and was a favourite of author CS Lewis, who often met friends at The Unicorn on visits to Malvern - and is remembered in a blue plaque on the pub.

Malvern Gazette: The pub's darts team plays on WednesdaysThe pub's darts team plays on Wednesdays (Image: NQ)

“There is so much history here,” said Laura. “It was quite nerve-wracking to start with.

“I’ve grown up in Malvern and The Unicorn was quite a big pub, very popular, so I was quite nervous about taking over, but it’s gone well so far.

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“It’s lovely to be a part of the history of it now.”

The pub is hosting live entertainment on weekends, open mic nights on Tuesdays, darts matches on Wednesdays and regular quizzes.

Malvern Gazette: CS Lewis was a regular drinker in The UnicornCS Lewis was a regular drinker in The Unicorn (Image: NQ)

“We’re just trying to bring the place back to life,” said Laura, “breathe a bit of love into it. We really enjoy running pubs and being part of the community - we always felt like that at The Foresters and we want it to be the same here.

“Sadly a lot of the regulars were lost, so it’s about enticing them back and bringing the beer back up to standard.

“But there’s a lot of foot traffic here and we get a lot of tourists - it’s been really good.”