The owners of the Railway Inn Framlingham have taken the opportunity during lockdown to refurbish the garden, snug, pool room and create an outdoor bar.
Owner Darren Springle and his partner Kezia Bayfield got to work while the pub was closed and are now pleased to see customer back using the new-look areas.
The Station Road pub was sold by Adnams in 2015 and taken on by Mr Springle in 2019.
The 34-year-old said he always had plans to refurbish the facilities and decided to seize the opportunity when lockdown closures hit.
“We are really happy with the work now it’s finished,” he said. “There hasn’t really been any work done to the property in over 70 years.
“The pool room where we used to host discos, games and events was just quite dark, tired and gloomy – the work has really made it light and airy.
“We’ve already had customers get in touch about booking it for birthdays and party events.”
The pool room was historically used to fix up horses and carts in previous years and Mr Springle has kept some of the heritage in view with a brick feature wall.
Other classic features in the pub include open fires - popular with those enjoying their Sunday roast dinners.
As well as transforming the inside of the pub, the couple decided to renovate their indoor snug area, add in an outdoor bar and landscape the garden.
The new outdoor features such as decking and flower beds were enjoyed by customers as the works were completed for July 4 but the pool room has only just been finished.
“The works to renovate the pool room overran a little bit,” Mr Springle added. “However, it’s done just in time to get people indoors as the weather starts to turn and we’re really happy with it.”
He said they have seen trade dip recently since the 10pm curfew and other new measures were introduced.
He added: “The rule of six and table service regulations have been frustrating and we have seen a drop in the number of customers coming out since then.
“Hopefully people keep coming in over the coming months.”
The team have worked hard to continue putting on Covid-secure events in line with regulations, including a silent disco, late night crazy hour and BBQs.
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