A thatched 16th Century Purbeck inn has reopened its doors under new management at a time when more pubs are closing than ever before – and intends to buck the trend with top notch hospitality.
The Halfway Inn at Norden on the A351, closed in 2024 following family issues for the previous landlords, and the arrival of concrete blocks along the entrance road raised fears that it would be another permanently lost pub.
Business partners James Davies and Sam Critchal are the new landlords of Norden’s Halfway Inn
Building dates back to Tudor times
But the new landlords, James Davies and Sam Critchal, say it has always been their dream to run their own place and intend to open 12 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year, with food served between 12 noon and 9 pm every day.
While the historic pub gets huge passing trade from visitors to Swanage and Corfe Castle in summer, the new team is confident that their brand of hospitality and customer satisfaction can continue to pull in customers over winter months.
The Halfway Inn is believed to date back to Tudor times, when it was built as a thatched roof farmhouse, and several of the original features still remain, including wattle and daub walls and flagstone floors.
By 1859, the building was recorded as the Hixlade Head Inn and by 1896 had been renamed the Halfway House, under agreement with Hampshire brewery Strong and Co.
Independent Dorset brewers, Hall and Woodhouse, bought the property in 1997 and have now leased it to business partners James and Sam.
Plenty of outdoor seating makes the Halfway Inn perfect for summer visits
“Seasonal pub in a great location”
Sam Critchal said:
“James and I have been in hospitality all of our working lives, we have worked for Hall and Woodhouse for about 15 years between us and decided that it was time to take on the lease of a pub ourselves.
“I’m from Dorchester, James is from Plymouth and we first met each other running the Smugglers Inn in Osmington on the Jurassic Coast, a super seasonal pub in a great location.
“We have both done other things since – James was most recently running a pub in the centre of Bath and I was at the Monmouth Ash in Verwood, but when we saw that the Halfway Inn lease was available we thought it would be similar to the Smugglers and knew we had to take it on.
“We are super passionate about people and hospitality, and all of our teams have been based around great people – that’s what makes great hospitality for us, it’s about the people and about the experience.”
New landlord and chef Sam (left) is ready to welcome new and returning customers to the Halfway Inn
“We know we can succeed”
Sam added:
“You might say we’re picky, but we know how to make businesses work well and if you have great people we can teach the skills, while we can’t teach employees how to be personable.”
“We opened just before Easter, which was busy but really fun – it was nice to be able to do it, we always said we would. We got a lot of people coming in, but we could always do with more.
“We know we can succeed by continually making everything a bit better than it was yesterday.
“It’s like Sir Dave Brailsford, the former coach of the British Cycling team, said – if you constantly improve something by one percent every day, those small gains add up to a huge improvement.”
The children’s playground will be up and running for summer
Hoping to source a local menu
With the Halfway Inn perfectly positioned among so many beautiful towns, villages and attractions, including Swanage, Corfe Castle, Studland, The Blue Pool, and the Jurassic Coast, it is well placed to take advantage of passing tourist trade.
And with several campsites nearby popular with Nordic walkers, ramblers, cyclists and dog walkers, the new team is also courting the outdoors community, welcoming dog owners and considering campervan stopovers in the carpark.
The children’s play area will be back up and running for summer, and outside seating is being maximised, while there are also plenty of cosy tables inside the building for when the weather isn’t perfect.
The menu at the Halfway Inn will revolve around fresh ingredients – which Sam and James are hoping to eventually source locally – and will give a wide selection of dishes to those who are gluten intolerant and vegetarian.
Many gluten free options are available on the menu, including a battered fish burger
“We don’t feel like this is work for us”
Sam Critchal said:
“Most items on the menu are gluten free, and we don’t think that’s hard to do. We’ve come from managed houses where you don’t get the choice of menu items, but we are passionate about delivering food for everyone and a hospitality experience for everyone.
“Swapping out the beer batter in our fish and chips for a gluten free version isn’t difficult, nor is making brioche buns for the burgers, or fresh focaccia as a starter – they all still taste great and don’t mar the quality at all.
“The beautiful thing here is we can get deliveries every day, so everything is fresh, and the end goal is making all the produce local as well. It’s just me and James in the kitchens at the moment, and it’s not easy to get the time to look into local suppliers for the volume we think we are going to get.
“We know that a lot of pubs close in the winter or have shorter hours, but we are not into that, we’ll be open from 11 am to 11 pm daily, with food served from 12 noon to 9 pm every day, throughout the year.
“We enjoy working in this industry, we absolutely love people, and we don’t feel like this is work for us. We will make the Halfway Inn a place where you come to enjoy a good pint, a great meal and a top experience, we are certain that we can make it work.”
Plenty of indoor dining spaces with original flagstone floors and cosy wood burners make the Halfway Inn ideal for winter dates
Six pubs closed each week in 2024
Figures released in February 2025 showed the British pub industry is facing a crisis, with around six pubs closing every week in 2024, resulting in some 4,500 job losses.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BPPA) revealed that 289 pubs in England and Wales shut their doors for good in 2024 as they were hit by rising energy costs and a continuing cost of living crisis which has left consumers with less disposable income for pub visits.
The BBPA also warned that pub closures will have a further impact on those who are part of the supply chain, including farmers, brewers and other local industries.
Suntrap gardens and a garden room available for private hire at the Halfway Inn
“Consumer demand is there”
BBPA spokesperson Emma McClarkin said:
“Consumer demand is there, but profits are being wiped out with sky high bills and pubs are facing yet more rates and costs this year with new employment costs and a drop in business rates relief.
“We want to see urgent action from the government to support our pubs so that they can continue to boost the economy, support local jobs, and remain at the heart of communities.”
Further information
- More about the Halfway Inn
