The busiest day at the Crystal Palace was when Princess Diana married Prince Charles in St Paul's Cathedral. The pub was totally mobbed; not by wedding guests, but by part of the 30,000 people attending a concert by The Who across the road in the Crystal Palace Park! We sold out of food by 10:30am and all our draught beer was gone before 1pm, so they shut up shop and went to the gig too!
Over two weeks' takings in one morning!
Big bonus from the brewery - CHEERS!
Swan Hotel
In 1980 the Ruslings moved to the tranquility of Royal Tunbridge Wells and ran the much more genteel Swan Hotel on The Pantiles.
After a break there (!) they embarked on further relief work with Charringtons, including such exotic taverns as the Rising Sun in Slough, the Rose & Castle in Milton Keynes and the Swinging Sporran at Weston Favell. Relief work was great, paying triple the normal rate, but by then they had other things in mind.
Our next move was to join William Younger's Inns, a part of the then giant Scottish & Newcastle brewery. We did several relief manager stretches,including a memorable time at the Roebuck on Richmond Hill, where our next doors were Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall!
Crystal Palace Hotel
After six months "on the hill" we moved on to manage the Crystal Palace Hotel in South London, a mecca for pirate radio operators due to its height and 'view' over central London. We reopened up the old ballroom at the back and put on reggae nights which saw up to a thousand customers flow through the doors to see the likes of Desmond Dekker and Judge Dread.
In 1982 the Ruslings decided it was time to settle down and take a quiet little pub by the beach in Whitstable, Kent. On 4th June 1982 they took over the Punch Tavern, which had previously been the haunt of Screaming Lord Sutch when he ran his radio station on the nearby Shivering Sands Towers.
Their first child Dawn)was born later that year and was brought up for the first few years of her life at the Punch. The Ruslings were soon drawn back into the world of watery wireless once more; it was while at the Punch Tavern that the Laser project came about.
The Punch Tavern soon became a magnet for radio enthusiasts; things did become a bit too hot for a time, although the DTI's suspicions that the pub was the nerve centre of the operation were misguided. Paul and Anne hired a young couple to manage the pub and bought a house six miles away, at the other side of Herne Bay. They later decided to sell the tenancy of the Punch as they were by now busilly setting up yet another radio ship and they spent some time in the Bahamas.
In 1982 we decided it was time to settle down and take a quiet little pub by the beach in Whitstable, Kent. On 4th June 1982 we took over the Punch Tavern, which had previously been the haunt of Screaming Lord Sutch when he ran his radio station on the nearby Shivering Sands Towers.
Our first child (our daughter Dawn) was born later that year and was brought up for the first few years of her life at the Punch.
We were soon drawn back into the world of watery wireless again and it was while at the Punch Tavern that another radio project (Laser) came about. The pub soon became a 'Mecca' for radio enthusiasts; things did become a bit too hot for a time, although the DTI's suspicions that the pub was the nerve centre of the operation were misguided.
We hired a really good management couple and bought a house six miles away at the other side of Herne Bay. We decided to sell the tenancy of the Punch as we were very busy (setting up yet another radio ship) and we spent some time in the Bahamas.
Paul then did some training of pub managers for Vaux Brewery, but by the 1990s was spending more time on radio work in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, etc. Radio consultancy work with a variety of radio stations throughout the 1990s ment long periods in Holland and Germany and then seven years in the Isle of Man as Chief Executive of a startup national station.
It was to be twenty years before we returned to the licensed trade, when we took on the lease of the Triton Inn in the lovely picturesque village of Brantingham, near Brough in East Yorkshire, and quite close to our native Hull.
The Triton
is a huge country pub with a ballroom. It could seat 170 at a time for food. We built the trade and pretty soon could do over 700 full meals on our busiest days - we had a team of up to 29 staff though! We had eight very happy years there and finally sold the business to a local family, Bob Carrolll and his son Sam.Paul Rusling |
Paul & Anne's first tenanted pub was in Whitstable - the Punch Tavern, now called the Quayside.
The Black Lion, on the river front at the end of Chiswick Mall is busy seven days a week, especially on a hot summers day when the garden is always full of customers enjoying an hour by the river.
Among the Rusling's customers at the Black Lion were Vanessa Redgrave's family, Magnus Pyke - then a popular TV presenter and scientist, and many staff & artistes from Island Records, just across the road in St Peter's Square; all regulars at the Black Lion.
Crystal Palace, on Anerley Hill, London SE19
Paul then did some training of pub managers for Vaux Brewery but by the 1990s was spending more time on radio work in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, etc. Radio consultancy work with a variety of radio stations throughout the 1990s ment long periods in Holland and Germany and then seven years in the Isle of Man as Chief Executive of an international station.
It was to be almost twenty years before they returned to the licensed trade. In 2006 they took on the lease of the Triton Inn in the lovely picturesque village of Brantingham, near Brough in East Yorkshire, quite close to their hometown of Hull.
The Triton is a huge country pub with a ballroom. It could seat 170 at a time for food. We built the trade and pretty soon could do over 700 full meals on our busiest days - we had a team of up to 29 staff though! We had eight very happy years there and finally sold the business to a local family, Bob Carrolll and his son Sam.
Crystal Palace Hotel
After six months "on the hill" the Ruslings moved on to manage the Crystal Palace Hotel in South London, a mecca for pirate radio operators due to its height and 'view' over central London. They reopened up the old ballroom at the back and put on reggae nights which saw up to a thousand customers flow through the doors to see the likes of Desmond Dekker and Judge Dread.
The busiest day at the Crystal Palace was when Princess Diana married Prince Charles in St Paul's Cathedral. The CPH was totally mobbed, not by wedding guests, but by part of the 30,000 people attending a concert by The Who across the road in the Crystal Palace Park! Paul and Anne sold out of food by 10:30am and all the draught beer was gone before 1pm, so they shut up shop and went to the gig too!
Over two weeks' takings in one morning!
Big bonus from the brewery! CHEERS!
Swan Hotel
In 1980 Paul and Anne moved to the tranquility of Royal Tunbridge Wells and ran the much more genteel Swan Hotel on The Pantiles.
After a break there (!) they undertook further relief work with Charringtons, including such exotic taverns as the Rising Sun in Slough, the Rose & Castle in Milton Keynes and the Swinging Sporran at Weston Favell. Relief work was great, at up to triple the normal pay, but by then they had other things in mind. . .
The Halfway House in Dunstable
Black Lion
Halfway House
Punch Tavern
Swan Hotel
The Triton
GOOD BEER GUIDE
Paul & Anne Rusling's pubs appeared in many editions of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, the AA's 'Good Pub Guide' and similar guides.
Weddings
Everyone loves a good wedding, they are the social highlight of many families' calendars, although they do say that its one of the most stressful times of your life. Paul and Anne have hosted more weddings than they can remember - it's well over 300.
At the Triton, the huge ballroom could seat around 100 for a five course Wedding Breakfast. These were held on almost any day of the week, though Saturdays were usually the most popular. One memorable day we even hosted TWO weddings and the team still managed to cope with regular diners; fortunately the Triton had three rooms so could easilly absorb the two different parties.
Anne is an experienced wedding planner and managed most aspects of Weddings, while Paul was squeezed into his Master of Ceremonies regalia to host the proceedings. That often included his 'skills' as disc jockey for the evening's fun and celebrations!
It was to be twenty years before we returned to the licensed trade, when we took on the lease of the Triton Inn in the lovely picturesque village of Brantingham, near Brough in East Yorkshire, and quite close to our native Hull.
The Triton
is a huge country pub with a ballroom. It could seat 170 at a time for food, qhich is quite a fair mnumber of covers. We also had seating outside at the fropnt and side of the pub for anotgher 75 and tables in our 'secret garden' at the back for about fifty more.We built the trade up very quickly and pretty soon were doing over 700 full meals on our busiest days - we had a team of up to 29 staff though who did most of the work! Most of us are still pretty close friends too and we still enjoy seeing many of our old customers; indeed, we went to see two of them ysterday. Such happy memoires, it really was the best pub we ever ran.
We had eight very happy years at The Triton and finally sold the business to a local family, Bob Carrolll and his son Sam.
In 1982 Paul & Anne decided it was time to 'settle down' and start a family. They took 'a quiet little pub' by the beach in Whitstable, Kent.
The Punch Tavern, was previously the haunt of Screaming Lord Sutch when he ran his radio station on the nearby Shivering Sands Towers. They often asked listeners to take a message to the Punch requesting fresh supplies for Radio Sutch, off the Kent coast.
Little did anyone know how it was to spell a return to the watery world of offshore radio for Anne and Paul. (see Laser page).
Paul & Anne's first child was their daughter Dawn, born later that year and she was brought up for the first few years of her life at the Punch. Paul Rusling was soon drawn back into the world of watery wireless again and it was while at the Punch Tavern that the 'Laser radio shi'p project came about. The pub soon became a 'Mecca' for radio enthusiasts; things did become a bit too hot for a time, although the DTI's suspicions that the pub was the nerve centre of the operation were misguided.
Paul & Anne hired an excellent management couple (George and Sylvia) and bought a house six miles away at the other side of Herne Bay. Eventually, they decided to sell the tenancy of the Punch in the mid 80s and, after a brief experience with another radio ship (teh MV Nannell) they spent some time in the Bahamas. The Punch continued to thrive, especially when under the management of John Kray's two boys who ran several pubs in the town. They changed the name of the Punch toThe Quayside.
.
There was not enough rock'n'roll in Dunstable so the Ruslings moved south, to Hammersmith and Watneys famous The Black Lion, a Thames side river pub, at the end of Chiswick Mall.
The CPH's busiest day was when Princess Diana married Prince Charles in St Paul's Cathedral. The Crystal Palace pub was totally mobbed, not by wedding guests, but by part of the 30,000 people attending a concert by The Who across the road in the Crystal Palace Park! Paul & Anne sold out of food by 10:30am and draught beer was gone before 1pm, so they shut up shop and went to the gig too!
Over two weeks' takings in one morning!
A big bonus from the brewery - Cheers!
Paul & Anne's pub in Whitstable
the Punch Tavern (renamed 'The Quayside')
The legendary TRITON INN in Brantingham.
172 covers, in a bar, a restaurant and a ballroom.
102 outside more and over 100 car parking spaces!
In 1982 Paul & Anne decided it was time to settle down and they took a quiet little pub by the beach in Whitstable, Kent. The Punch Tavern, which had previously been the haunt of Screaming Lord Sutch when he ran his radio station on the nearby Shivering Sands Towers.
Their first child was a daughter, Dawn Crystal, who was born later that year and was brought up for a few years at the Punch.
It wasn't long before the Ruslings were drawn back into the world of watery wireless again and it was while at the Punch Tavern that another radio project (Laser) came about. The pub soon became a 'Mecca' for radio enthusiasts; things did become a bit too hot for a time, although the authorities' suspicions that the pub was the nerve centre of the operation were misguided.
They hired a really good management couple and bought a house six miles away at the other side of Herne Bay. They took the decision to sell the tenancy of the Punch as life was getting too busy (setting up yet another radio ship) and they spent some time in the Bahamas.
Paul then did some training of pub managers for Vaux Brewery, but by the 1990s was spending more time on radio work in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, etc. Radio consultancy work with a variety of radio stations throughout the 1990s ment long periods in Holland and Germany and then seven years in the Isle of Man as Chief Executive of a new national station.
The 1990s was spending more time on radio work in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, etc. Radio consultancy work with a variety of radio stations throughout the 1990s meant lengthy periods in Holland
It was to be twenty years before the Ruslings returned to the licensed trade, when we took on the lease of the Triton Inn in the lovely picturesque village of Brantingham, near Brough in East Yorkshire and quite close to our native Hull.
The Triton
The Triton Inn is a huge country pub with a proper ballroom. We could seat 170 at a time for food and built the trade until we were doing over 700 full meals on busy days - with help from our team of up to 29 staff though! We had eight very happy years there and finally sold the business to a local family, led by Bob Carroll and his son Sam.
Paul was working as a night club DJ and Anne was a manageress in a restaurant when they decided to 'meet in the middle'. They would take a job in which they could both work together - and fifty years later they still get great joy out of doing just that!
Originally applying to the long-gone Hull Brewery for a job managing pubs, they were asked "Which team did you play for, Hull or Rovers?" Apparently most Hull Brewery licencees were former rugby players and you weren't even considered until you had played for one of Hull's iillustrious rugby league teams!
Halfway House
Paul and Anne then tried Whitbread, who immediately offered a role as Assistant Managers at the Halfway House in Dunstable. The place is still there, but now has a hotel tacked on the back and has lost its charm since becoming HQ for its restaurant chain. Whitbread no longer hire publicans, or mine hosts but now have baristas and hoteliers, many with their personalities removed! Good for corporatism, but not for the hospitality industry.
In 1982 we decided it was time to settle down and take a quiet little pub by the beach in Whitstable, Kent. On 4th June 1982 we took over the Punch Tavern, which had previously been the haunt of Screaming Lord Sutch when he ran his radio station on the nearby Shivering Sands Towers.
Our first child (our daughter Dawn) was born later that year and was brought up for the first few years of her life at the Punch. We were soon drawn back into the world of watery wireless again and it was while at the Punch Tavern that the Laser project came about. The pub soon became a 'Mecca' for radio enthusiasts; things did become a bit too hot for a time, although the DTI's suspicions that the pub was the nerve centre of the operation were misguided. We hired a really good management couple and bought a house six miles away at the other side of Herne Bay. We decided to sell the tenancy of the Punch as we were very busy (setting up yet another radio ship) and we spent some time in the Bahamas.
Paul then did some training of pub managers for Vaux Brewery but by the 1990s was spending more time on radio work in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, etc. Radio consultancy work with a variety of radio stations throughout the 1990s ment long periods in Holland and Germany and then seven years in the Isle of Man as Chief Executive of a startup national station.
It was to be twenty years before we returned to the licensed trade, when we took on the lease of the Triton Inn in the lovely picturesque village of Brantingham, near Brough in East Yorkshire, and quite close to our native Hull.
The Triton
is a huge country pub with a ballroom. It could seat 170 at a time for food. We built the trade and pretty soon could do over 700 full meals on our busiest days - we had a team of up to 29 staff though! We had eight very happy years there and finally sold the business to a local family, Bob Carrolll and his son Sam.Paul & Anne's first tenancy pub in Whitstable the Punch Tavern, now called the Quayside.
The Triton
is a huge country pub with a ballroom. It could seat 170 at a time for food, which is quite a fair number of covers. It also had seating outside at the front and side of the pub for another 75 and tables in the 'secret garden' at the back for about fifty more.Starting with a 'clean slate' (the Triton was closed when the Ruslings took over) trade was built up very quickly and pretty soon up to 700 full meals were being served on the busiest days; a team of up to 29 staff did most of the work! Most are still pretty close friends too and Paul & Anne still enjoy seeing many of their old customers. "Such happy memories, it really was the best pub we ever ran," says Paul. They had nine very happy years at The Triton and finally sold the business to a local family, Bob Carroll and his son Sam.
The Black Lion
on the river front at the end of Chiswick Mall was a very busy pub, seven days a week, especially on a hot summers day when the garden would be full of customers enjoying an hour by the river.Among the Rusling's regular customers were Vanessa Redgrave's family, Magnus Pyke who was then a popular TV presenter and scientist, and many staff and artistes from Island Records, just across the road in St Peter's Square.
Paul was working as a night club DJ and Anne was a manageress in a restaurant when they decided to 'meet in the middle'. They decided to take a job in which they could both work together - and even today they still get great joy out of doing just that.
They originally went to the long gone Hull Brewery and asked for a job managing pubs, but were asked "Which team did you play for, Hull or Rovers?" Apparently most of the Hull Brewery licences were former rugby players, and you weren't even considered until you had played for one of Hull's rugby league teams!
Halfway House
Paul and Anne went instead to Whitbread, who immediately offered a role as Assistant Managers at the Halfway House in Dunstable. A very rapid learning curve, but very hard work, with a very busy night club opposite.
The Halfway House became the company's HQ for a while and now has a hotel strapped on the back.
Next step was to the giant Grand Metroplitan company, owners of Watney, Berni Inns and more.
Paul |
Rusling |
Crystal Palace Hotel
After six months "on the hill" we moved on to manage the Crystal Palace Hotel in South London, a mecca for pirate radio operators due to its elevated 'view' over central London. They reopened up the old ballroom at the back and put on reggae nights which saw up to a thousand customers flow through the doors to see the likes of Desmond Dekker and Judge Dread.
The busiest time at the Crystal Palace was the day Princess Diana married Prince Charles in St Paul's Cathedral. The Palace was mobbed, not by wedding guests, but by part of the 30,000 people attending a concert by The Who across the road in the Crystal Palace Park! Food was sold out by 10:30am and all the draught beer was gone before 1pm, so they shut up shop and went to the gig too!
Over two weeks' takings in one morning!
Big bonus from the brewery - CHEERS!
Swan Hotel
After some hectic times in London, the Ruslings moved to the tranquility of Royal Tunbridge Wells where they ran the much more genteel Swan Hotel on The Pantiles. It was very quiet (except when Crispian St John came to stay for a week!) and they soon moved on. After a leisurely break, Paul and Anne embarked on further relief work with S&N and Charringtons, including such exotic taverns as the Rising Sun in Slough, the Rose & Castle in Milton Keynes and the Swinging Sporran at Weston Favell. Relief work was enjoyable, as it paid up to triple the normal rate.
Paul & Anne ~ PUBLICANS & RESTAURANTEURS
Paul and Anne's first child was daughter Dawn who was was born later that year and was brought up for the first few years of her life at the Punch. Paul was soon drawn back into radio again; it was while at the Punch Tavern that the Laser project came about. The pub soon became a magnet for radio enthusiasts; things did become a bit too hot for a time, although the DTI's suspicions that the pub was the nerve centre of the operation were misguided.
The Ruslings hired a management couple (George and Sylvia) and moved into a house six miles away at the other side of Herne Bay. They fionally sold the tenancy of the Punch in the mid 80s and, after a brief experience with another radio ship, the Nannell, spent some time in the Bahamas. The Punch continued to thrive, especially when under the management of the two Kray brothers who ran several other pubs in the town.
The Triton
was a huge country pub with a ballroom that had sadly become neglected. 'Faded glory' is an apt description, but the Ruslings invested deeply to bring it up to date. Over £200,000 went into a complete refurbishment so that The Triton could seat 170 at a time for food. Business was boosted by putting on live music and catering for both private and corporate events. Pretty soon The Triton was selling up to 700 full meals on its busiest days - with a first class team of 29 staff! After eight happy years there, the Ruslings sold the business to a local family, Bob Carrolll and his son Sam.Paul & Anne Rusling
Publicans & Restauranteurs
TRITON INN in Brantingham.
172 covers, spread over a bar, a restaurant and a ballroom.
Anne was a highly skilled wedding planner for many years, organising and hosting hundreds of events. She highly recommends the Debrett's Wedding Guide, and the Ultimate Wedding Planner which are"must have for any one planning the perfect wedding. Crammed with ideas, and all the etiquette you will ever need. Warning - your friends will be delighted to borrow this book from you!
Paul & Anne Rusling seen greeting wedding guests at the Triton; Anne in costume as Maître D', and Paul as Master of Ceremonies.
The Ferns Farm was once one of half a dozen farms in the village of Carnaby, on the outskirts of Bridlington on the Yorkshire Riviera. In the mid 70s it became a small hotel with restaurant and was a huge success, with tables booked up weeks in advance. Later it had a leisure facility added, with a heated indoor swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, steam room, tanning suite and a gym.
In 2008 the premises were bought by the Old Mill Brewery, a small Yorkshire company with a couple of dozen similar operations. They hired a succession of managers, but still it did not thrive. In late 2017 Paul and Anne Rusling were headhunted by the Ferns owners (Old Mill Brewery) to take over the Ferns. They saw huge potential; as a large site on the main road in and out of town it should be turning over around £20,000 per week.
Paul and Anne agreed to take up the reins and bring their expertise to the Ferns, on condition that the premises were refurbished and had a 'new look' and identity. The basic infra-structure had to be upgraded, staff properly trained, the food offer repositioned and the letting rooms refreshed. Under the Ruslings' plans, the 100 capacity function room would be considerably upgraded with the latest sound, vision and lighting and brought into use several nights a week with specialist music events. Comedy nights and theatrical events, such as 'Murder, Mystery' evenings would be launched with the Ferns being actively promoted over a wide area. As Anne often says: "You can have the best in the world, but if no one knows about it then it's all a waste of time!"
The refurbishment and the promotion campaign were delayed. Having enduring a hard winter on the coast and being keen to get on with life, Paul and Anne were keen to move and left the Ferns in 2018.
Santa Claus was on his way to his holidays (where does he go? Santa Parcs of course!) on Christmas Day 2017 and popped into the Ferns for a quick couple - here he is being welcomed by Anne and Paul.
Ruslings return to the bar
on the Yorkshire riviera
B
ack to the bar
-
on the Yorkshire riviera
Ruslings go back to the bar
on the Yorkshire riviera
Weddings
Everyone loves a good wedding; they are the social highlights of many families' social calendars, although they do say that its one of the most stressful times of your life! Paul and Anne have hosted more weddings than they can remember - certainly over 300.
The Triton's huge ballroom could seat around 100 for a five course Wedding Breakfast. These were held on almost any day of the week, though Saturdays were invariably the most popular. One memorable day saw TWO weddings being hosted at the Triton and the team still managed to cope with regular diners. Fortunately the Triton's three rooms and wonderful team coped with the different parties.
Anne is an experienced wedding planner and has managed most aspects of Weddings , while Paul was squeezed into his Master of Ceremonies regalia to host the proceedings. That often included his skills as a disc jockey for the evening's fun and celebrations!
Paul & Anne were very proud when the Triton was voted
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
by readers of the Hull Daily Mail.
CAMRA's Good Beer Guide is fully revised and updated each year and features pubs across the United Kingdom that serve the best real ale. The 2026 pub guide has listings based entirely on nomination and evaluation by CAMRA members. This means you can be sure that every one of the 4,500 pubs are all recommended by people who know a thing or two about good beer!
Restaurant of the YEAR
The legendary TRITON INN in Brantingham.
172 covers, spread over a bar, a restaurant and a ballroom.
(plus 102 outside and over 100 car parking spaces too!)
Paul then did some training of pub managers for Vaux Brewery but by the 1990s was spending more time on radio work in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, etc. Radio consultancy work at radio stations throughout the 1990s meant long periods in Holland and Germany and then seven years in the Isle of Man as Chief Executive of international broadcaster Musicmann 279.
It was to be almost twenty years before they returned to the licensed trade. In 2006 they took on the lease of the Triton Inn in the lovely picturesque village of Brantingham, near Brough in East Yorkshire, close to their hometown of Hull.
Paul and Anne were then headhunted by Edinburgh based William Younger's Inns, a part of the giant Scottish & Newcastle brewery. They ran several S&N houses, including a memorable time at the Roebuck on Richmond Hill, where their next door neighbours were Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall on one side and radio chief Robert Kennedy on the other! Some great times there, many are best left untold!
Crystal Palace Hotel
After six months "on the hill" the Ruslings moved on to manage the Crystal Palace Hotel in South London, a Mecca for pirate radio operators due to its height and 'view' over central London. We reopened up the old ballroom at the back and put on reggae nights which saw up to a thousand customers flow through the doors to see the likes of Desmond Dekker and Judge Dread, who Paul had worked with in the clubs years before. They became good friends and it was Alex who suggested they come and live near his home in Kent and take a pub out there.
Crystal Palace Hotel
After six months "on the hill" They moved on to manage the Crystal Palace Hotel in South London, a mecca for pirate radio operators due to its height and 'view' over central London. Paul reopened up the old ballroom at the back and put on reggae nights which saw up to a thousand customers flow through the doors to see the likes of Desmond Dekker and Judge Dread.
Ferns Farm Hotel
Paul & Anne Rusling
PUBLICANS &
RESTAURANTEURS
The Ferns Farm was once one of half a dozen farms in the village of Carnaby, on the outskirts of Bridlington on the Yorkshire Riviera. In the mid 70s it became a small hotel with restaurant and was a huge success, with tables booked up weeks in advance. Later it had a leisure facility added, with a heated indoor swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, steam room, tanning suite and a gym.
In 2008 the premises were bought by the Old Mill Brewery, a small Yorkshire company with a couple of dozen similar operations. They hired a succession of managers, but still it did not thrive. In late 2017 Paul and Anne Rusling were headhunted by the Ferns owners (Old Mill Brewery) to take over the Ferns. They saw huge potential; as a large site on the main road in and out of town it should be turning over around £20,000 per week..
Paul and Anne agreed to take up the reins and bring their expertise to the Ferns, on condition that the premises were refurbished and had a 'new look' and identity. The basic infra-structure had to be upgraded, staff properly trained, the food offer repositioned and the letting rooms refreshed. Under the Ruslings' plans, the 100 capacity function room would be considerably upgraded with the latest sound, vision and lighting and brought into use several nights a week with specialist music events. Comedy nights and theatrical events, such as 'Murder, Mystery' evenings would be launched with the Ferns being actively promoted over a wide area. As Anne often says: "You can have the best in the world, but if no one knows about it then it's all a waste of time!"
The planned refurbishment and the promotion campaign were delayed. Having enduring a hard winter on the coast and being keen to get on with life, Paul and Anne were keen to move and left the Ferns in 2018.
The Triton Inn
was a huge country pub with a ballroom that had sadly become neglected. 'Faded glory' is an apt description, but the Ruslings invested deeply to bring it up to date. Over £200,000 went into a complete refurbishment so that The Triton could seat 170 at a time for food. Business was boosted by putting on live music and catering for both private and corporate events. Pretty soon The Triton was selling up to 700 full meals on its busiest days - with a first class team of 29 staff! After eight happy years there, the Ruslings sold the business to a local family, Bob Carroll and his son Sam.
