We take a sneak peek at 18th century Derbyshire village pub's transformation into a 'jewel in the crown' and meet the new operators

This iconic 18th century building has been renovated from top to toe and customers will have the first look at the transformation on Thursday, October 15 when doors open at 5pm.

The relaunch celebrates a new chapter for the treasured property which villagers feared might never reopen as a hospitality venue.

Ahead of the big reveal, the Derbyshire Times visited the landmark property in the Market Place for a sneak peek and to meet the key people behind its refurbishment.

Admiral Taverns, which owns the Greyhound, partnered with new operators Greg and Sarah Dufton in a £700,000-plus joint investment to create a place that the village can be proud of and an elegant destination for guests from far and wide.

David King, senior property manager at Admiral Taverns, said: “From Admiral’s point of view, this pub had been closed for a year; it was unloved and it needed investment. There were lots of internal conversations about how do we revive it and there were times we thought it was too expensive to bring back to life. It’s a Grade II listed building, it’s a huge piece of property and there were lots and lots of repair issues that we had to deal with. But we got the support of the operating board to spend £600,000 here to put it into a good state of repair.

"The most important element of the whole thing is finding the right operator and we took a long time to find the right people with the right skills. Sarah and Greg’s energy and experience with marketing and running licensed premises made them a good fit.”

Sarah, who has given up her job as associate director at a marketing agency to focus on the Greyhound, has a background in communications and journalism. She said: “My responsibility is the commercial side of things – to make sure people are aware of the Greyhound, and that there are bookings.” There are nine guest bedrooms on the upper floors, with prices starting at £135 for a weekday stay which includes breakfast.

Greg has more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry and is leading the operation of the Greyhound. He said: “I used to work for a big company and we opened up a lot of pubs around the world.”

Now owner of Derby’s award-winning Belong cocktail bar, Greg has introduced cocktails to the Greyhound’s drinks menu including one created in its honour. He said: “The cocktail menu at the Greyhound is interesting, the wine menu is good and well rounded. We’ve made sure there is a great range of lagers that you’d expect from a pub, we’re starting with three cask ales and we will extend that to five once we get a feel for what people want.”

All-day dining will be a key feature. Greg, 49, said: “We’re starting off with a scaled-down bites menu for this weekend, we’re having the full menu from Wednesday next week. The food is upscaled pub classics...we are a premium place, but we’re not fine dining.”

Sarah said: “From a guest perspective it should feel like you can go for a walk in the Peaks, pop in and eat anywhere you like within the pub. It should feel like you can have the muddy boots brigade come in and fuel up but equally groups or families for a celebration that can be a three-course meal experience.”

Fifty people have already booked for a special Christmas Day meal at the Greyhound where Greg and Sarah and their two young sons will be among the festive diners.

The reopening of the Greyhound is a time of joy for villagers who feared for the pub’s future when it closed in December 2025. Public meetings were called, a Save the Greyhound campaign was launched, councillors and MPs relayed the village’s concern to Admiral Taverns.

Sarah, who is 41, said: “That persistence has been intrinsic in the end result. Everybody in Admiral wants to see the Greyhound as a bit of a jewel in the crown and our commitment to them is to make sure that is maintained.”

Greg commented: “The support from the village has been great. We’ve gone out of our way to make sure we’ve communicated with the village, we’ve updated them on what’s happening, we’ve told key people what our aim is with the place to settle everybody’s nerves.

"There’s been a top to bottom refurbishment. Every wall's been painted, every door's been treated, every floor's been carpeted and every piece of furniture has been refurbished or replaced. Luckily a lot of the structural side had been done previously.”

Two years ago Admiral Taverns invested in the building fabric, which included the roof. David King said: “This time it was really about customer facing bits. When we started stripping the bathrooms out and taking the tiles off, the walls behind started disintegrating so we had to put new walls in.

"As a company we employ architects, interior designers and contract companies to bring it all together. Sarah and Greg have always been on board with the vision - it's been a shared vision for the place.”

The transformation has opened up job opportunities, with a team of 17 workers recruited to support Sarah and Greg’s aim of building a warm and welcoming premium pub, restaurant and rooms offering.

With everything running like clockwork inside the Greyhound, it’s back to work for the timepiece outside which has been repaired after four years at a standstill.