A historic town centre pub has reopened under a new name in a bid to give it a fresh start.

Andrew and Seonaid Dixon took over the former William Caxton pub in Tenterden six months ago and have carried out a major refurbishment.

The couple, who have previously run Airbnbs but have never taken on a pub before, have renamed the site The Print House.

“Myself and my wife run it and we have refurbished the whole building so it is very different,” Mr Dixon said.

“It is very different to anything which has been here before.

“We have been in the retail and customer service industry for a lot of our careers formally in the Airbnb field so decided this would be something good to do.

”The pub had been the William Caxton since the 1950s and it resonates in a certain way with people.

“When you take on something it is difficult to change it if it has already got an existing identity.

“So we decided to change the identity and start afresh because then people have got no preconceptions.”

Mr Dixon says they have kept the theme of William Caxton - who some believe was born in the town - throughout the venue.

He said: “He was the first person to bring the printing press into the country and he came from Tenterden so we have kept the theme of print by calling it The Print House.

“We have six ensuite bedrooms all with names associated with print such as the copy writers room and the proofing room.

“It is very different which is what you want because otherwise it is just a change of management.

"This pub had had a lot of changes in management and we wanted a clean slate.”

The Print House opened on Saturday, April 15.

“We have been extremely busy and went through a barrel of Harveys in a day,” Mr Dixon said.

“It has been well received and locals have been very supportive and seem to like what we have done so long may that continue.

“We have a restaurant for 40 covers and offer fresh British cuisine.

“The menu changes regularly based on what is available.”

Mr Dixon, 62, added the cost-of-living crisis is a concern when it comes to managing costs.

“We are learning,” he said.

“But we are using our prior experience to keep good prices and see what our customers want.

“We are always listening to what our customers say.

“We will always try to adapt and respect everyone else in the same position.

“It is about not trying to exploit because everyone has tight costs so we have to try and work all together and we do not want to alienate people by putting our prices too high.

“It is about listening and learning.”

Previously known as the Black Horse, the site, which sits at a prime spot at the junction of the high street and Smallhythe Road, was owned by Shepherd Neame for more than 70 years.