A HISTORIC pub in Batchworth Heath which has starred in both television and cinema has been reopened, creating up to 28 new jobs in the area.

A £750,000 renovation of Ye Olde Greene Manne, formerly an Ember Inn, includes new paint and signs, and restoration of the old beams and fireplaces inside.

There will now be room for 66 diners in the London Road pub and 60 more on a patio area in the summer.

New landlady Delyth Harty said the makeover was modelled on a country pub.

This history of the pub is vague, with some saying it dates back to a landlord called Richard Ryder in 1728, while others claim the first landlord was Samuel Fiskett in 1881.

It has starred in all sorts of TV and film productions such as Withnail & I, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Midsomer Murders.

Alistair Johnson, from Mitchells & Butlers’, the new owner, said: “Our renovations and future plans will put Ye Olde Greene Manne firmly on the Hertfordshire dining map where it belongs.

“We’re living proof that a well run country pub collection with the right forward thinking offer can flourish even in tougher times.”