Wiltshire certainly has its fair share of historical pubs with interesting backstories but few have quite the rich past as The Barford Inn.

The pub, located on Grovely Road in the village of Barford St Martin, has sections of the building which date back to 1582.

Having been in operation in one form or another for around 445 years, the watering hole has always been involved with the production or sale of alcohol.

Now run by Romanian couple Olivia and Philip Stapley, who moved in five years ago, the pub provides customers with an authentic feel.

Swindon Advertiser: Olivia and her family have been at the pub for five years.Olivia and her family have been at the pub for five years. (Image: The Barford Inn)

“The oldest part of the pub is from 1582 and parts of the building were the first things to be mentioned with licensing in the village,” said Olivia.

“At that point in time, it was producing its own beer and that is how the pub trade started and we have had alcohol on site for 600 years.

“We love the character and the history of the place and that it still has something to say hundreds of years later.

“It is the way it used to be and has not been modernised and that is what attracted us to it in the first place and that is what we love about it.”

Swindon Advertiser: The historic pub has a homely feel inside.The historic pub has a homely feel inside. (Image: The Barford Inn)

The 44-year-old found moving to the pub to be tough at first given that she had never run such a business before.

“We lived in Romania and we decided we would move into a family-run business and wanted a village pub,” said Olivia.

“It was a steep learning curve as I had never run a restaurant before and I had never poured drinks or looked after the rooms.

“We have been welcomed by the village we are in and they have been very supportive of their pub.”

Swindon Advertiser: There are many dishes available on the menu.There are many dishes available on the menu. (Image: The Barford Inn)

The watering hole has gone on to win several pub awards under the pair’s stewardship and has gained some international attention as a result.

“It is very much a community-led pub but we do get a lot of tourists who stop over here,” said Olivia.

“We get people from all over the world staying here including America, Australia, New Zealand.

“Our food represents this as although we have classic pub food, we also have international nights where we celebrate different cultures, meals and wines of different nationalities.

“We have a team of chefs who have been with us since the beginning and we have a stable team so that allows us to develop every year.”