An Oxfordshire village pub’s future is seriously in doubt after failing to reopen months after the landlords left.

The Six Bells on The Green in Warborough operated for the last time on Wednesday, March 27, as the family in charge of the pub chose to move on.

Landlords Gary and Sam Huntley had originally moved into the pub in October 2022 but called time on their tenure earlier this year.

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Oxford Mail: The pub can be found in Warborough.The pub can be found in Warborough. (Image: Brakspear)

Warborough residents were pleased to hear in April the pub was likely to reopen after an announcement stated a new landlord had been found.

The deal to take over fell through though and The Six Bells was once again left without a landlord and thus remained shut.

Now almost three months on from closing, the village pub still is yet to welcome regulars back in.

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The watering hole is an iconic part of both Warborough and Oxfordshire as a whole with its notable appearances on television as a filming spot.

Overlooking the village’s cricket green, the pub has been featured in ITV crime drama series Midsomer Murders as well as several other films.

The Six Bells has appeared in six episodes of the show including once under its own name but also under other names such as The Quill Inn, The Black Swan and The Luck in the World.

Sporting a timber frame and thatched roof which date back to the 1600s, the pub also is also close to a picturesque church.

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Oxford Mail: Inside the pub which dates back to the 1600s.Inside the pub which dates back to the 1600s. (Image: Brakspear)

The village of Warborough itself has also appeared in around nine episodes of the popular detective series leading to an increase of tourism in the area.

Yet despite the tourism and The Six Bells being the only pub in the village, the watering hole remains closed at the time of writing.

Speaking exclusively to the Oxford Mail back in April, former landlord Gary Huntley listed costs as the reason for him and partner Sam departing.

“I am changing my career completely as we have been in hospitality for 11 years and to be honest, the way things are, it's just not profitable,” he said.

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Oxford Mail: The pub closed earlier this year.The pub closed earlier this year. (Image: Brakspear)

“The margins are squeezing but breweries are still making all their money and it is the landlords that are taking the hit.

“Energy has risen sustainably and food has doubled and trebled in price.

“You are tied into the brewery and you end up paying inflated prices so, at the end of the day, it is just not worth it.”

The pub is a Grade II-listed village inn built as two cottages in around 1550 with a thatched roof that extends past the first-floor windows.

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