New owners take over historic B&B in Exmoor
Both Craig Smith and Aidan Palphramad, who are married, were born into families with hospitality businesses
The Fox and Goose, a 129-year-old pub with rooms in the village of Parracombe, Exmoor, has been taken over by operators Craig Smith and Aidan Palphramand after a financing deal with The Cumberland Building Society.
Both Smith and Palphramad, who are married, were born into families with hospitality businesses, with Smith’s father and grandparents both operating their own hotels and Palphramad’s family running hospitality businesses across the world.
Smith said: “Due to economic reasons, I sadly wasn’t able to take over my father’s hospitality business when he passed. Purchasing the Fox and Goose feels like I’m finally able to carry on his legacy.
“Aidan is an accountant by trade and so joined the local parish council as the treasurer pretty much as soon as we moved here. It’s a great chance for us to give back to the local community, as well as hear firsthand what else is going on and what issues the community is facing.”
Andy Gibson, commercial relationship manager at The Cumberland Building Society, said: “From early conversations with Craig and Aidan, we knew straight away that we wanted to support them in finding their dream B&B. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for the Fox and Goose.”
While there has been a Fox and Goose pub on the site since the 16th-Century, the current building was erected in 1894.
The couple was introduced to The Cumberland through Chris Arnold at Arnold Commercial Finance Limited.
