The New Inn, Tywardreath: the pub Sam Fender played first

Walk through the door of a certain village pub in Tywardreath and the first thing that hits you is how much is packed onto the walls and ceiling. Old bottles. Faded photographs. A flag the size of a bedsheet. It takes a minute to realise you are still standing at the bar.

A bar built low for a mining village

The New Inn dates back to the 17th century, and its most distinctive feature is hiding in plain sight. The bar itself sits noticeably lower than you would expect, a detail rooted directly in Tywardreath’s mining past. Local miners would head there after long shifts spent crouched underground, and the low bar made it easier to lean against once they finally stood up straight.

Two brass slots are still set into the wood, left over from the days when miners were paid in tokens that could be exchanged locally for food and drink.

“It’s one of those little pieces of history that’s still here,” said Christian Hanks, who runs the pub with his brother Stephen. “You can actually see how the village’s past is tied into the pub.”

Photographs, a mystery figure and a growing collection

Faded photographs line the walls, including one of a butcher standing outside the pub with his horse and cart. Another draws more of a double-take, showing a child in the doorway with what looks like a ghostly figure looming behind them.

Old beer bottles run along shelves near the ceiling, and the collection keeps growing. Locals still turn up now and then with bottles they have found in sheds, lofts or garages, adding them to what is already on display.

“This isn’t really a destination that shouts about itself,” Christian said. “People come in and discover something they weren’t expecting. There are hundreds of years of history in this building, from the walls themselves to the old beer bottles lining the ceiling shelves. It’s become a bit of a tradition.”

The flag with a story of its own

The New Inn’s Cornish identity is hard to miss, and it was singled out by The Telegraph when the paper named the pub among its best in the UK. An enormous Cornish flag dominates one wall, found and embroidered by Christian and Stephen’s sister before it was given pride of place inside the pub.

The room where Sam Fender played before the arenas

Just off the main bar is a room that doubles as a dining space and a live music venue, hosting gigs throughout the year. Plenty of musicians have played there over time, including one who would go on to become one of Britain’s biggest names. Before he was selling out arenas and headlining festivals, Sam Fender played a gig at The New Inn. Live music at the pub still happens at least once a month.

Outside, the gardens open up far beyond what the frontage suggests, with a stretch tent and outdoor bar hosting summer events and community gatherings. The pub recently held a firewalk, with participants walking barefoot across hot coals.

From potwasher at 14 to running two pubs

Christian grew up in nearby Fowey, and pubs have been part of life for almost as long as he can remember. He started out washing pots in a local pub at 14, went on to earn a degree in mining engineering, and still ended up back behind the bar. After a spell working in hospitality in London, he returned to Cornwall and now runs The New Inn and The Lugger Inn in Fowey alongside Stephen, employing more than 30 people across the two St Austell Brewery pubs.

“People sometimes think hospitality is a temporary job,” he said, “but it’s a career. I’ve spent most of my working life in pubs and I’ve never really looked back.”

National praise, and the people behind it

The New Inn has now been named among The Telegraph’s best pubs in the UK for two years running, sitting alongside the growing reputation, the famous former performer and the accolades. But for Christian, none of that is what actually matters most.

“It’s the people,” he said. “You might put on a gig, a charity event or it’s a normal Friday night, and when the pub is busy and everyone is happy, that’s the best feeling.”

The New Inn is one of 120 leased and tenanted pubs in St Austell Brewery’s estate, each run by independent business partners. The brewery is marking its 175th anniversary this year, having started out as a family-owned company in 1851, and continues to look for people interested in running a pub of their own under its banner.

The old photographs, the low bar and the flag on the wall aren’t going anywhere. Whether the next name to play that back room becomes a household one, nobody at The New Inn is likely to find out until well after the gig is over.