Company behind The Barn restaurant in New Milton goes into liquidation over £130,000 debt
A new leaseholder is being sought for a New Milton restaurant after the previous company running it went bust owing nearly £130,000.
Charles Bruske took over The Barn in Gore Road in 2020 after leaving The Crown in Everton, where he had been the landlord.
He re-launched The Barn as a wine bar and restaurant, as well as a venue for weddings and other events including live music nights.
But according to Companies House, Mr Bruske’s company, The Barn (New Milton) Ltd, went into voluntary liquidation owing £129,462 to creditors in August last year.
Among those out of pocket are local firm Chefs Mate GB, based in Christchurch, which is still waiting for payment of a £519 bill.
Eon Energy is also owed £49,000, and there is £26,648 bill still outstanding to Natwest Bank. More than £50,000 is owed in taxes, too.
An advert for the grade II listed building as a going concern for £3,500-a-month lease, or for sale, was recently posted online.
It states that The Barn has 10bedrooms, 10bathrooms, a restaurant, events room and large car park. The price of buying it outright has not been revealed.
After taking over the venue three years ago, Mr Bruske had said: “The Barn is in a beautiful location and we have so much space, so we can adapt to suit the needs of customers and larger groups.”
Its Instagram account described it as offering “local produce food in a relaxing country setting, with great quality food, drink and B&B rooms”.
The venue saw several changes in the type of of cuisine it served, having a short-lived spell as an Italian restaurant and periods of being closed at short notice.
The most recent reviews of The Barn, which were posted on a review website in September last year, were scathing.
One customer revealed: “We turned up for dinner and drinks to be told not only was the kitchen shut because there was no chef but the only drinks available were bottles due to no draught beer. Terrible, terrible place.”
One woman who arrived for a break in the New Forest fared even worse. She revealed how she arrived to find the “place locked up and in darkness with no staff on site”.
A staff member then arrived, who booked her in but told her the bar and restaurant was shut so she would not be having breakfast the next morning.
She added: “When we got up the next morning the whole place was locked up with no one in sight. Ended up leaving the keys in the hallway. Will not be visiting again.”
According to Companies House, Southampton-based Trusolv Ltd has been appointed to deal with The Barn’s liquidation. The A&T has approached the company for comment.
