Southampton: Meet the new owners of The Stile Inn in Shirley

Husband and wife, Russell and Clara Ship, took over The Stile Inn on Shirley Road in February after the previous owners retired.

Since then, they have been renovating the building, inside and out. 

The pub's old furniture has been replaced with a more modern bar. 

READ MORE: Shirley pub owners set to retire after more than 20 years

Russell, 52, said: "I have always wanted to run a pub, and here we are now. 

"We finally got our own pub." 

Clara, 46, added: "I thought I would someday run a pub because it's always been something that Russell wanted to do. 

"If I had a dream, he'd support mine." 

READ MORE: Stile Inn set to reopen by new owners

The pair have been together for 29 years and have two children, Ryan, 25, and Chloe, 23. 

They said they have received immense support from their children and their partners. 

Russell added: "My son-in-law helped us on the admin side, like managing handbooks and paperwork, and it just took the pressure off us. 

"I don't think we would have been ready in about six months if we hadn't had them." 

Russell and Clara ship take over The Stile Inn on Shirley Road (Image: Newsquest)

Once open, the family-friendly watering hole will offer a range of gins, real ales, brandies, whiskies, wine, and more. 

The venue will be pet-friendly and will host entertainment and game nights, where customers can enjoy a game of pool, darts, or sing their hearts out to karaoke. 

The owners are also working on their pub's back garden to have it ready just in time for the summer. 

They added: "We are really looking forward to seeing everyone. 

"We know a lot of our regulars who cannot wait to be back and keep on asking when we'll finally open so come and give us a try. 

"We need to keep the local pubs in Shirley going because if we don't have these local pubs, we're going to end up with another barber shop, flats, or a Wetherspoon." 

The Stile Inn will officially open on Friday, April 7 at 11am.