Fashion designer transforms traditional Devon pub
And just like that the seasons have changed. The sun retreats, rain volleys off your head and you need a place to feel cocooned - preferably with a drink in hand. Entering the new lobby of the Ley Arms in Kenn near Exeter you get the feeling this old building has seen many autumns before. It's probably never had a zebra print carpet though.
Once inside I shake the rain from my jacket and take in some of the recent changes that have been made to this most Devon of Devon pubs. Blending tradition, elements of local history and a number of quirky touches, the pub has a new look.
The owners, brother and sister team Martin and Karen Diment, have had a busy year, embarking on a carefully-planned refurbishment. The core elements are all still there - pub lunches, leather chairs, mop-haired dog and Devon ales beneath a thatched roof - but the copper-toned lobby is brand new, it's as if the amber of autumn has followed me inside and wants to get comfy on the cushions.
The new entrance isn’t just for ornament. The area connects to five new boutique guest rooms. In fact, talking to Martin it becomes clear it isn't really a lobby at all. In a year or so's time it will be part farm shop, part gourmet experience and multi-purpose events space.
Martin and Karen have ambitious plans for the pub that has stood riverside in the picturesque Kenn Valley since 1290 - making it one of the oldest in the county. A former designer for Burberry, Ralph Lauren and John Varvatos, five years ago he left behind men’s knitwear in New York and London to go all in with Karen at the pub.
Their labour is clearly divided, each bringing their own skillset to the business. Karen’s ability to make customers feel welcome on entering the bar is one of the pub’s best features. Every pub needs a good landlady, a face for customers. It’s amazing how many publicans fail to muster even a basic hello.
Martin doesn't seem the shy type but his presence is more reflected in the aesthetic and ideas. “I never go behind the bar to serve,” he laughs. “Only to get my own red wine.”
“I want a pub that appeals to everybody,” he adds. “Whether they spend five pounds or five hundred pounds I want them to have the same level of enjoyment and the feeling of coming somewhere special.”
“Five months ago we opened the new rooms. They are boutique-style and individually designed by myself. I spent 30 years in textiles designing. My sister is front-of-house. I work on the business side, ensuring the margins are met and on all the design elements.”
Each of the new rooms is named after five sisters of a local landowning family - the Ley girls. By the way, it turns out that the actual pronunciation of Ley is with an ‘E’ as in Lee. The family owned much of surrounding land and, like many posh folk, vocalised their surname in a completely different way to the spelling. Everybody still says Ley with an A.
For Martin, designing the rooms was an outlet for his creativity and a respectful nod to local history.
“I really like how each room has its own personality that’s connected and related to the history,” he says. “Henrietta is dark with moody blues while Marjorie is dusky pink and grey, each with different personalities. I didn’t want it to be too thematic but it had to be relevant.”
Feedback from guests about the five on-suite Ley sisters has been good. “We have a complete mixture of people staying here,” he says. “People from the UK and all over the world. They come to Devon for different reasons.
“We’ve just had a lovely couple who have lived abroad and have just come back after 30 years away. They said they wanted to go to a traditional English country pub and were blown away by the experience. There are also parents of university students down for graduation and great wedding venues around that don’t have accommodation which we cater for.”
Through the lobby and we’re into the main body of the Ley. A large traditional space, with timber beams and muted lighting embellished with Martin’s personal touches. It’s busy for a Thursday, there must be 50 or sixty people buying drinks. Martin says there are 90 bookings for the evening. I can hear the kitchen getting into gear behind the bar, preparing for a busy evening service.
There’s a snug with sofas to the left, where a couple of families are relaxing. Customers stand around chatting beside the long bar. It’s not cold enough for the wood-burners to be lit yet but give it a month or two. Bertie the dog presents his bearded head for a pat.
Sadly his old companion, stalwart and local canine legend, Reg, died earlier this year at the grand old age of 14. As a younger dog Reg gained some notoriety for being awarded a doggy asbo at Karen’s last pub The Lighter in Topsham. The Ley Arms has a firm dog-friendly tradition to uphold.
Not only is the Ley Arms one of the best traditional pubs for several miles, it is also a hospitality powerhouse. With 180 covers it has established a reputation over the last decade for fine food.
“It’s only in the last four or five years I’ve started getting involved and it’s been a gradual process. Some of the locals said we shouldn’t do this or that but you have to back yourself. In February we changed all the carpet and once we got rid of that it started to bring everything together.
“If you look around you’ll see a lot of hand-painted and bespoke features.” The inspiration for much of the new visuals comes from William Morris and the arts and crafts movement. He’s particularly proud of a mural on the wall with its twisting flower design.
“It’s in line with our own ethos that we source things locally," he says. "Everything is homemade. We worked with some good local craftsmen. The food on the menu is local. I’m pretty controlling when it comes to all the visuals. You have got to look back to look forward. I’m trying to update the past for today.
“I follow my instinct. We want to offer something unique and special. But everything has got to have a reason to be here. There are enough generic pubs.”
By next summer he hopes the next phase of the pub’s evolution will be in place. The new lobby will be a multi-functional space where people can enjoy gourmet pasties, scotch eggs, sausage rolls and the like. The haberdasher cabinet sitting in one of the new cosy alcoves will be filled with the Ley’s own locally-sourced chutneys. You’ll be able to buy into that Ley Arms ethos and take a gift home with you, maybe a hamper.
“It doesn’t mean we are going to be overpriced,” says Martin. “A lot of people still want to enjoy the traditional pub lunch or just a drink at the bar. For others it is somewhere a little bit special to go for a meal. We don’t want to alienate anyone.
“Pubs are about a lifestyle. You’ve got to be ahead of the curve. I don’t have a pub background. Karen does, she has 35 years experience. But we both want to make the experience amazing.
He has a special word of thanks for the staff. The Ley employs about 30 full and part time workers, including six chefs. Many of the ingredients are sourced from the surrounding fields and local farmers. He also has a good relationship with the brewery - Heavitree - who have backed the changes.
All in all, the business seems to be flourishing. Martin says: “We are very lucky with the staff we have here and the experience and they make the pub what it is. I wouldn't want to give advice to anybody else but my advice to myself is that you have always got to think of the customer but if you are creating a brand you have got to lead and not be scared by being unique. Assuming you have got good taste to begin with.
“It’s all about the detail. I don’t want to open any other pubs. The farm shop space is a natural progression and is at least a year away. We have got to have a good broad base pricing structure so we appeal to everybody.
“The ideas are easy for me. As a small business you have to work really hard. I love working and I love creating. There is so much more I want to do. As Georgio Armani said 'To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail. This takes 80 per cent discipline and 20 per cent creativity'."