CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Group is appealing to experienced pub owners and operators to take on the listed Star Inn, Netherton.
Currently advertised on Rightmove, the Star Inn is the sole pub in a rural village and boasts features of truly outstanding heritage importance but it sadly closed in 2023 due to the ill health of the landlady. It is described by Historic England as a “rare example of a modest and largely unaltered Edwardian public house of great character” and is notable for its simplicity of layout and fittings.
The Star Inn has spacious upstairs accommodation and outbuildings, plus extensive gardens and grounds and the group is concerned developers might only have eyes for its potential for conversion, noting Rightmove is not a specialised platform to market pubs. There are fears that if the premises has not found a buyer during the marketing period, then a planning application for redevelopment could be submitted, leading to this historic gem being lost forever.
Group chair Paul Ainsworth said: “Entering Netherton’s only pub is like stepping back in time, with parts of the current building dating back to the 19th century. Losing such a treasure would not only strike yet another blow against our ever-depleting national pub heritage, but deprive the Netherton community of a social hub that has served them for generations.
“The Star Inn is listed, but the clock is ticking. If there is no buyer, the planners might well approve a change of use, even though this is a time when the constant haemorrhaging of our nation’s pubs is causing huge public concern.
“Netherton lies at the heart of rural Northumberland, with the National Trust’s visitor magnet of Cragside only 14 miles away and a new operator would be well-placed to take advantage of the region’s booming tourism. A thriving pub that is also a heritage attraction in itself could drive more footfall and invigorate the whole area even more.”
In August 2025, the building received a Historic England Grade II-listing and is included on CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. It is one of only seven pubs of such historic stature still left in the whole North East.
The Star Inn also has history as the only pub in Northumberland to appear in every Good Beer Guide for 40 consecutive years from 1974 to 2013.
It is advertised on Rightmove with an asking price of £385,000.
