GILBERT White’s House & Gardens has announced plans to work with the Derek Warwick Developments to open a tap room bar in the historic pub opposite White’s house, now a museum.

The Queens of Selborne closed in 2016 after centuries of selling beer, and has been empty for six years.

The museum re-opened Gilbert White’s original brew house as a nano-brewery in 2021, and now has plans to open a tap room in the pub.

The Queens, or Compasses Inn as Gilbert White would have known it in the 18th century, has always played an important part in village life.

In the 1830s it played a role in the Selborne Riots, and in White’s lifetime it was owned and run by White’s friend and neighbour Timothy Turner.

They both brewed beer at home using hops and other ingredients from the local area.

Gilbert White’s brewhouse – built by Gilbert in 1765 and in which he experimented with different brews right up until 13 days before his death in 1793 – was reopened officially as a brewery in 2021 by Nigel Atkinson, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

It has been brewing beer ever since, producing more than 15 different beers for sale at the museum.

The tap room in the High Street will allow visitors to try the Gilbert White range of beers, and will also stock other local beers and produce. It is expected to open in the autumn.

Chairman of musuem trustees Khalid Aziz said: “We have partnered with the developer to breathe new life into The Queens building.

“We want to celebrate its heritage in a way that is beneficial and sustainable for the village and to continue the local brewing tradition.”