A beautiful pub garden in Northamptonshire has been revamped by new management and is ready to officially open later this week.
The Wooden Walls of Old England pub in High Street, Collingtree, just off the A45, was taken over by Amy and Martyn Thurley just two weeks ago.
Since then, the new landlord and landlady, who have been married for 11 years, have worked tirelessly to make sure the outside space at the pub is ready for the official reopening launch this weekend, by relaying turf, dressing the barn and improving the outdoor seating area.
The couple from Wootton have never run a pub before, but have talked about the venture since they first got together.
As they are settled in the area and have children in school locally, they have had their sights set on the Collingtree pub for a while and now they have big plans for the place.
Amy said: “We’ve had to turn it around so quickly.
“The whole pub is being completely done out as we want to put some character back into the place and change the layout a bit.
“We want to make it more cosy and like an old English pub.
“We want to keep it as a community pub, but to also put it on the map as it is a hidden gem.
“We have lived in Wootton for so long, but we didn’t know it was here.
“We’re also trying to bring it into the 21st century by making the website better and making the pub more accessible on social media.”
In the coming months, the new managers are hoping to change the inside of the pub and employ catering staff to led the pub’s food offering.
Martyn added: “It is a family pub, run by a family.
“We’re in the process of looking for a full-time chef. We want to launch a new menu, which is traditional pub food and not gourmet.
“We’re going for a board and basket style.”
Amy continued: “We don’t want it to be a place where you go and get three chips on your plate.”
Although the garden is ready to welcome customers soon, the couple also plan to completely redo the outdoor space, including doubling it in size and adding a pizza oven and cocktail bar and turning the barn into a function room.
The pub will open from 12.30pm on Friday (April 16) and will then be open Tuesday-Sunday moving forwards.
Search Wooden Walls of Old England on Facebook or Instagram to find out more.
Below are pictures of the pub garden and the space customers will be able to enjoy from this weekend.
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There is a huge outside space which can seat around 40 tables, spread out in a Covid-safe manner. Photo: Kirsty Edmonds.
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The premises also has a barn, which is not able to be used until pubs are allowed to open indoors. Photo: Kirsty Edmonds.
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Despite only having the place for three weeks, the couple have transformed the outside space into something 'Instagrammable'. Photo: Kirsty Edmonds.