Witney pub shuts for £100,000 revamp

A WITNEY pub has closed to undergo a £100,000 refurbishment, as its new manager pledges to create the “hub of the neighbourhood”.

Ye Olde Cross Keys, in Market Square, has shut down until Tuesday, February 12, for the revamp.

Spirit Pub Company, which owns it, plans to refurbish the interior and exterior, bring in new furniture and update the food and drinks offers.

Gareth Hunter, who has worked in hospitality for 17 years, took over the pub three weeks ago.

He said: “I’m really excited about the future of Ye Olde Cross Keys. “With this refurbishment the team and I hope to bring back the essence of what a great British pub is all about; great food, a wide selection of drinks and excellent entertainment.

“The team and I aim to make Ye Olde Cross Keys the hub of the neighbourhood by launching several nights of great entertainment which will run every week and include poker leagues, live music and quizzes.”

He said the pub also planned burger, curry and steak nights.

Spirit Pub Company lost planning permission to create an outside drinking and dining area in Market Square last month.

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Comments(6)

maysie says...
7:42am Mon 4 Feb 13

I suggest loosing "Ye Olde" its tacky as hell.

AylesburyOx says...
8:36am Mon 4 Feb 13

Having a clamp down on some of the numpties who drink in there would also help

Fred Chilvers says...
10:12am Mon 4 Feb 13

Dead right, Maysie. "The Cross Keys" is what everyone calls it and the "Ye Olde" bit gives exactly the wrong impression as well as being embarrassingly bogus archaic English.

Sid Hunt says...
12:10pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Surely it saves confusing it with Ye Newe Cross Keys?

H.J.Harris says...
7:56pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Grunden Skip wrote:
Spirit Pub Company lost planning permission to create an outside drinking and dining area in Market Square last month.

With pubs closing left right and centre (there was a story last week about a landlord going bankrupt) can I congratulate the F/Wits on the council for refusing permission for something that would help a business survive, and have no negative impact on anybody, what is all this Continental Cafe Culture that we are being told about. WODC, you need a good kick up the bum, and some education on how to promote business in your area, and not on how to kill it.
This Pub already has an outside area. The pavement is not wide enough to put seating in with all the footfall, also what would happen to the much used bacon/burger van ?

Fred Chilvers says...
8:43pm Tue 5 Feb 13

If WODC had to determine the Spirit Pub Company's planning application on the basis of the submissions of Grundon Skip and H.J.Harris, it's pretty clear they came to the right decision.

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