The Bulls Head in Hale Barns is to close for three months to undergo a £1m refurbishment.
The Wicker Lane pub will be closed from Monday June 15th for between 10 and 12 weeks, reopening in September with a “brand new look, team and offer”.
General manager Tim Banks told us this would be the Robinsons-owned pub’s first refit in 30 years.
He said: “The pub’s tired and we don’t get the footfall. Once it’s done up we should do well round here – there isn’t another pub around.
“A lot needs doing and it’s going to be completely modernised. It won’t be a gastropub but it will be a nice country pub that serves good food.”
Below: The Lodge next door to the Bull’s Head
Around £400,000 has already been spent on refurbishing The Lodge accommodation next door (which is open over the summer), with around £500,000 set aside for the pub.
The new pub will feature a completely new menu and wine list, Banks added, and there would also be an upstairs area for private dining. If the changes proved popular with customers, the bowling green at the back could also be converted into a courtyard.
He added: “The pub layout won’t change a lot, but there’s a lot of wasted space at the back so we’re going to move the bar back and stop the bottleneck you get by the bar.
“We’re thinking it’s a good time to do it because there’s no football over the summer so we won’t be losing any football revenue, and I don’t think we’re going down that route when we open anyway. It will be more of a food route, but staying as a traditional pub.”
