The Cross Foxes dates back to 1748. It was built by the Watkin Wynn estate for its workers - which is a great philanthropic impulse when you think about it (Brunning and Price could do with opening a beach bar in the Carribean for the same reason). The "crossed foxes" above the door at the pub actually comes from the coat of arms of the family, and the pub itself became a stopping-off point for stage coaches travelling from Shrewsbury to Chester - we are talking hard-core history here.
Horses and travellers for years relieved themselves at the Foxes, with the livery stables at
the front of the pub (has anybody got any old photographs from that time? If so, give us a shout - Ed). The stables were demolished in the 70's to make room for a car park, as by then, for some reason, there had been a substantial fall-off in the number of coaches and horses dropping by.
After the Watkin Wynn estate declined, the pub was sold on, and for many years the pub was run independently. The Border Brewery brought the Foxes in the 60's, which included the field and house behind, for £2,500, and it became a small hotel catering for the needs of fisherman off the Dee and wealthy game shooters.
The Border Brewery was taken over by Marstons Brewery, which was in turn taken over by the Wolverhampton & Dudley Brewery - breweries eat breweries, it is their diet. We now lease the Cross Foxes from them on a 25-year lease.
There is a slight suspicion in the company that the Cross Foxes, beautiful as it is, fulfilled the need for a decent local for our MD Graham Price, who lives down the road. Is this another great philanthropic gesture in the history of the Foxes?
