Walking into The White Swan in Wickford the first thing that is striking is the sunshine streaming through the windows and how light and airy it feels.
According to staff it’s a far cry from how it used to look before the seven month renovation project that took place between new year and when it re-opened on July 28.
Manager Ellis Robinson did much of the interior work himself along with a builder and a decorator.
“There used to be brown carpets and the walls were dark. We replaced the bar and brightened it up with light walls and let the light in from the big windows,” said Ellis, who worked at The Chequers Pub in Billericay for 10 years.
“It used to be a bit of a blokey pub, which was fine, but one customer said he wouldn’t have brought his wife in before but he does now. That’s exactly what we wanted, I have a wife and two kids upstairs, and for me I want this to be a family pub they are happy to be in and for us to be part of the community.”
There is now a brand new bar that runs along the back of the pub, complete with a gold beer pump, the original floorboards have been sanded down and varnished to give an attractive look and there is new furniture and nicely decorated bathrooms.
Bar staff member Jackson Lane said: ““Great reaction so far customers love the new look and how bright it looks.”
A snug area has been created to make a nice place for an intimate meal or gathering.
The pub dates back to around 1925 and it retains some of the original features.
While I am there lots of happy customers arrive on a sunny Friday to enjoy the sunlit pub.
I ordered the daily special which was the beef burger which comes topped with crispy bacon and melted mature cheese served with side salad, all for an extremely reasonable £4.50.
When the burger arrived it was served with a tasty crisp salad and the burger itself was filled with a caramelised burger patty and the crispiest bacon.
It was a great pit stop for lunch and made even nicer for the fact it was such a reasonable price.
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