The Angel Inn will keep its name [Marc Barrot_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

A HISTORIC pub in Highgate village will close this Saturday.

But fear not pub fans, new owners are all ready to take over The Angel Inn’s lease – and it will remain a watering hole.

It will close after this weekend before it reopens in November under new management consisting of the team who run the nearby Red Lion & Sun.

Heath Ball, its owner, told the Tribune: “With the amount of closures we have in the pub trade now, this is a positive story. I think I can bring some life into the building and prove pubs aren’t dying. There is room for more.”

Mr Ball, who lives in Highgate, said he’s excited for a “new challenge” in the area. He’ll pick up the keys on November 4, and hopes to open the pub 10 days later

He said: “I won’t be doing anything major until the new year. I’ll be running it as is, unchanged inside. Then we’ll close for a month and refurbish and open in February.

“It will have a strong focus on breakfast and brunch. It will be a more relaxed sister pub to the Lion. The Lion is quite a beast.

“I want this to be more casual: no reservations, solid food, doing breakfast and brunch all day.”

Mr Ball added: “We’re going to keep the name. I’m a big believer in history and there’s a reason it’s called The Angel Inn. I don’t want to go there and come up with a stupid name I think is cool and it’s actually not.”