Man so homesick he moved entire pub from England to Germany for taste of home

By Amy Reast via SWNS

A homesick ex-pat has successfully moved an entire pub from England to Germany because he missed the traditional British boozer.

Brit dad-of-two Paul John Moss, 49, has been happily living abroad for 25 years, but desperately missed a "scruffy but cosy English boozer."

When the New Crown Inn in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, was sold to developers to turn into luxury flats, Paul bought everything.

He painstakingly deconstructed the entire venue and shipped it 400 miles to Iserlohn, near the German city of Dortmund, where it was assembled piece by piece.

Pint lover Paul took over everything from the mahogany front bar, signage and beer taps, to the front doors and even the dirty pint glasses.

Almost all he left behind was the walls - and the sticky carpet.

And he finally opened up and pulled his first pint for customers on Nov 17.

He's selling British classics like fish and chips, steak and ale pie, full English breakfast and a Sunday roast, and even the staff are from the UK.

Property developer Paul, originally from east London, said: "German pubs are nice, but there's just nothing quite like a scruffy but cosy English boozer.

"I guess the idea to set one up here came from selfishness - I missed British pubs so we decided to do something about it.

"It's not something you can put your finger on but there's just such a nice, cosy vibe in an English pub - and we have managed to re-create that authentically here.

"So far it's been a raving success - we've had people giving great feedback and it's been packed every day.

"We're in it for the long run and hope The New Crown will one day become a pillar of the Iserlohn community.

"My wife thinks I'm nuts - all my mates think I'm a hero."

Paul, dad to half-German children Oliver, 21, and Olivia, 18, first had the idea to run a proper British pub in 2019 when he bought a restaurant near their home.

Even after living in Germany for more than 25 years with wife Heike, 50, he said he still craved the British pub vibe that you '"just don't get in European bars."

He searched online for a pub to buy in England and came across the original New Crown, in October 2019.

Already closed and set to be transformed into apartments, he put in an offer and flew to England with colleagues to remove all the fixtures and furnishings and pack them into a shipping container.

Work began rebuilding the pub after the first German lockdown ended in July 2020.

The pub uses the original front bar, front doors, and the original 'The New Crown' pub signage - and they even shipped over the original pint glasses.

(Paul John Moss via SWNS)

Author: Paul John Moss / SWNS.COM
Caption: Classic British food at The New Crown pub in Iserlohn, Western Germany. See SWNS story SWOCpub. An Essex dad living in Germany shifted an authentic English pub to his new German home - because he missed ‘a classic British boozer’ . Paul John Moss, 49, told how after living in Germany for 25 years, he missed a traditional English pub and decided to re-create one near his new home. The dad-of-two purchased the building in Iserlohn, Western Germany, with his German wife, Heike Moss, 50, in 2019 – but Covid-19 meant they had to wait two years before they could finally open the doors to ‘The New Crown’. The owners finally welcomed their first guests last week and say so far, the pub has been a big hit with locals, who flocked to try their extensive menu of classic British beers and authentic pub grub.
Copyright: © Paul John Moss / SWNS.COM

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After a delayed opening due to Covid-19, The New Crown finally opened its doors last Thursday (17).

It stocks more than 70 beers, including classic British ales such as London Pride, Newcastle Brown Ale and Aberdeenshire-based Brewdog.

The pub is run by British couple Charles Gardner and Fleur Beakin, shareholders in the business, who moved to Germany from the UK to take on the challenge.

Paul, who has a black cab and red phone box in the garden, said the project cost “a tidy six-figure sum."

He said last weekend their stocks of beer were almost depleted after temperatures of up to 35 degrees saw both British and German pub-lovers rush in for a pint.

Paul said: "The German pubs here are nice, but they all have a similar clean, modern style - I wanted something more scruffy and traditional.

"It's not just imitating an English pub, it really is an English pub - from the beer to the food and all the staff. It's completely authentic."

"People have been loving it - there is such a positive atmosphere here whether you're German or English.

"We've been packed every day so far, and with the added benefit of a heatwave, customers nearly drank us dry on our first weekend!

"It has a fantastic vibe and it's been worth the two-year wait."