Brit billionaire's wife saves Wiltshire village pub

Lady Loretta Rothschild, author and wife of financier Lord Nathaniel Rothschild, has bought the Seven Stars at Bottlesford, near Pewsey.

A spokesperson for Lord Rothschild told the Financial Times that: "The Rothschild family have a deep affinity with the local area and farm 3,500 acres near to where the Seven Stars inn is situated.

"The pub is a critical part of the local community, and it was on Lady Rothschild's initiative that the decision was taken to save it."

Lady Rothschild becomes one of a handful of Wiltshire's ultra-wealthy who can add 'publican' to their résumé.

Stefan Persson, the largest shareholder in fashion retailer H&M, spent some of his $25 billion fortune on The Bell Inn at Ramsbury, near Marlborough.

And US millionaire Chad Pike, who made his fortune as European VP of the Center Parcs owner Blackstone, bought The Lamb at Edington, near Westbury, turning it into the Three Daggers.

Having a wealthy individual is one way to save your local. But with more than 1,000 British pubs closing in 2025, other communities are asking Wiltshire Council to list their pubs as an Asset of Community Value.

Listing means that if the owner wishes to sell it, they must offer it to the community first and give them time to raise the funds to buy it.

In 2025 there were 13 applications to have pubs listed as assets of community value in Wiltshire. This year, there have been three so far.

Eleven miles away from the Seven Stars - which successfully applied for a community asset listing before Lady Rothschild bought it - the parish council of Collingbourne Kingston has launched a campaign to protect its pub, the Barleycorn Inn.

The Barleycorn is the last of two pubs serving a village of just over 500 people.

Directly across the busy A338 is the former Windmill pub, which closed in the 1990s when the Barleycorn was still known as The Hatchet, and is now a private house.

Owned by Henley-on-Thames-based pub operator WH Brakespear and Sons, the pub is "temporarily closed."

Noting that the pub is "at the heart of the community," parish council clerk Philip Palmer has told Wiltshire Council: "The tenancy of the establishment is once again vacant, prompting concern in the parish that this important community hub may be lost to them, recognising that it is the only village amenity, there being no shop or other public house.

"It has provided a now much-missed focal meeting point for young and old, including the provision of food, drink and light entertainment such as live music.

"Indeed, the last landlord ran a hugely successful weekend of activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024 and then VE Day in 2025.

"Prior to its recent closure, it had an active pool league and other bar sports.

"The inn has a meeting room which was used by local groups such as the school PTA, and Collingbourne Road Safety Working Group, for meetings."

"It is very much hoped by the community that the Barleycorn Inn will continue as a public house.

"However, with public houses across the country closing at a significant rate, community concern is rising.

"The loss of this amenity has had an enormous impact on the community. To increase the chances of this key community hub being retained as a public house, it is requested that the Barleycorn Inn be designated an asset of community value."

A decision by Wiltshire Council is expected in April.