THE VILLAGE INN
OUR STORY
The Village Inn
The exact date the building was built is unknown, but evidence suggests it was built around the mid-1800s. It is recorded that it was previously named 'YE YN OF RUNETUNE' and was first granted a publican’s licence in February 1948. It was then re-licensed under the name 'PAVILION & VILLAGE INN' in March 1973.
In February 2023, the landlord, Lee Merritt, purchased The Village Inn with his wife, Harriet, and two daughters. Having both run and worked in local pubs and hotels in the area, they were well-known faces to many. As a local family, they were so excited when the opportunity arose to put their own stamp on this beautiful old pub. With a warm, welcoming environment, serving fresh, good food, ales, craft beers, etc, all a stone’s throw from the beach.
Along with their committed team, they are the force behind the ever-growing, popular destination pub that The Village Inn is fast becoming.
PAVILION
West Runton Pavilion was a popular music venue on the North Norfolk coast. In its heyday, it hosted concerts by many of the top bands of the time.
The Pavilion, originally a sports hall, began hosting dances during the Second World War and the venue became known as North Norfolk Pavilion. In the early days, the music was provided by a collection of military bands.
In the 1960's, 1970's and early 1980s, pop groups took over the main entertainment nightly at the pavilion. Many bands liked to use the venue for practice as the acoustics were so good. The venue, which was a long way off the beaten track, proved to be an ideal place for groups wanting to try out their new material before embarking on UK tours. It was also difficult to reach for music journalists, so groups could warm up in a safe and unusual environment. The opening of the pavilion also coincided with the explosion of punk rock, and many of the new bands played there, including, most notably, the Sex Pistols. In fact, the venue hosted many of the biggest names in rock, punk and new wave at the time.
Sadly, the venue was demolished in 1986, but there is a blue plaque on the wall of the Village Inn to commemorate it.
