THE end of an era could be in sight for an historic Quantocks Hill public house after more than 400 years of trading.

The thatched Blue Ball Inn, built from natural stone in Triscombe, has had a chequered history in recent decades and changed hands several times. Now, Somerset West and Taunton Council has been asked by current owner Grant Fowler to allow it to be converted into a holiday lets business.

Damian Claughton, of Jackson Architects Ltd, said a succession of tenants had tried to run the pub since 2008 but all had been unsuccessful. He said: “In recent years, the pub has been subject to major renovations by the current owner in a bid to try to kickstart the footfall from visitors, again sadly this has been unsuccessful.

“Covid-19 marked the final straw for trade and the pub has remained empty, without a tenant, and is now closed until further notice.”

The planning application was an attempt to keep the Blue Ball from falling empty for any long period of time while also ensuring it could become a profitable in the future and not create a ‘negative financial position’ for any further managers.

Of the past seven tenants, three had become bankrupt, one went into liquidation, one ran at a loss, and two others left suppliers unpaid.

Mr Claughton said: “Rural pubs are being forced to diversify to remain viable and for many, it is an obvious choice to offer accommodation. In areas where there are wider recreation opportunities, such as on the Quantocks, accommodation is a logical addition as people are drawn to the area for a wider range of activities and looking for accommodation.”

Mr Claughton said Tally-Ho Cottage behind the pub had been used for holiday lets in recent years. He said the plan was initially to change the focus of the pub to a ‘Sleeps 12’ holiday let development and, if it was successful, a later application would be made to do the same with Tally-Ho Cottage, and possibly also the pub’s skittles alley.

Mr Claughton said Mr Fowler was conscious the pub was a local facility and he was keen to not just convert the premises into a domestic residence.

“In today’s marketplace many rural public houses fail to generate sufficient trade from the limited local rural residents,” he said.

“In many cases, town centre sites are also facing the same situation despite being located within a heavily populated area.

“This has seen a significant reduction of licensed premises across the country, being converted to homes or being knocked down and new building constructed on the sites.”

Mr Fowler’s plans, however, allowed for a dual use of the Blue Ball Inn so it could still function as an entertainment venue for corporate events but also be adapted for holiday lets.

The pub’s bar area would be kept to serve communal areas such as a games room, dining area, and family room, which would be located within the old pub.

The ‘old pub’ feel would be kept, allowing guests to serve themselves with drinks from the bar and giving flexibility to serve possible events. Mr Claughton said: “The aim is to create a dual-purpose unit that will hopefully bring visitors to the area and give the building function once again.”