Belinda (Billy) and Scott Sowden are celebrating thirty years as licensees at The Vyvyan Arms Hotel in Camborne.
First recorded in the 1856 Post Office Directory as The Vyvyan Arms Inn, the public house with rooms was founded during Cornwall’s mining boom and, nearly two hundred years later, continues to be a popular hostelry on the town’s main street.
“I was in my late teens when I started serving behind the bar,” said Billy. “After working for different landlords, Scott and I were given the chance of taking over in February 1996 and decided to give it a go.”
“We’re proud to be the town’s longest serving licensees and look forward to many more years here yet.”
Given that almost one UK pub closed every day in 2025, what does Billy think is the secret to the Vyvyan’s longevity?
“We work hard, have loyal customers and staff and don’t put up with bad behaviour,” she said.
“Camborne has had its issues in the past, but the troublemakers have moved on and there’s a real sense of everything improving. From all that I can see, the town is going from strength to strength.”
Part of the Admiral Taverns community pub group, the hotel was named after the Vyvyan family who have been living at Trelowarren, on the Lizard peninsula, since the fifteenth century. They never owned the pub building but, as prominent Cornish landowners, are widely recognised in street signage.
“People come in asking about the history – including some Americans who brought two coins minted locally by the Vyvyans during the English Civil War,” said Billy. “The coins are very rare, so it was fascinating to see them.”
The Vyvyan Arms Hotel has been a member of BID Camborne since 2011 when the Business Improvement District was first voted in.
“We wholeheartedly congratulate Billy and Scott on their thirty-year anniversary,” said BID Manager Anna Pascoe.
“They do a great job of creating a vibrant, welcoming place for residents and visitors alike and are a mainstay of our town centre. Frosty, their grey parrot, is a proper local celebrity too.”