Well-known village pub in Northampton set to open TOMORROW following major refurbishment works

A well-known village pub in Northampton is set to open its doors to the public TOMORROW following a major refurbishment.

The Squirrels pub in Main Road, Duston Village, will open at midday on Thursday (August 25) to members of the public.

The Greene King-owned pub has been taken on as part of a franchise deal by Miranda Richardson, who recently left The Live and Let Live pub in Harpole due to unsustainable operating costs.

Speaking to Chronicle & Echo, Miranda said: "It's looking good. It looks completely different to how it was. The bar has had a major refurbishment. The garden is not quite finished but it will be very different to what people used to see.

"I'm excited for it. So many people are looking forward to coming back and having somewhere new and different.

"It's nice to have the backing of Greene King to do this. Everything has been done to a high standard. The refurbishment has been a mix of ideas and concepts from myself and Greene King."

Speaking to this newspaper in July, Miranda said it “felt like fate” when The Squirrels opportunity became available at the same time the costs at The Live and Let Live were soaring.

She said: "It felt like fate. It was a no-brainer.

"I've lived down the road from The Squirrels for 25 years so I know the pub and the area very well."

Other additions to The Squirrels include two six-seater garden huts with lighting and heating, which have both been named by the public following a Facebook survey.

Miranda said: "One is called the Timken Crib and the other is called The Clock Tower Cabin. They were the two which kept it more Duston than Northampton.

"Timken Crib was inspired by the old departments up at Timken, the departments there used to be called cribs. And the Clock Tower because it's still here."

The pub also has some “premium” lager on tap including Peroni, Asahi, and Madri. There will also be a darts board, pool table and a couple of screens inside the pub.

This August bank holiday weekend will see a DJ play tunes on Friday and band Pyro performing on Saturday.