Scaffolding has gone up at a pub in Berkshire as a project to transform it into a village shop, wine bar and more takes place.
The Greyhound pub in Wargrave closed in December 2021 following the retirement of its much-respected tenant landlord Steve Linstead.
It has since been taken over by H’artisan Speciality Coffee a fellow Wargrave business run by husband and wife time Nick and Sarah Hart.
The couple won permission to convert The Greyhound into a wine bar, guest house and shop last July.
READ MORE: Village pub in Berkshire to become wine bar and shop
Now work on the conversion project is taking place at the pub, with scaffolding needed to secure the structure of the building.
Councillor Graham Howe (Conservative, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe), who represents the area, said: “Anybody that knew the old Greyhound would know that it’s in need of significant renovation, that’s what the new owners are doing.
“On buildings of that age, you start with the roof and work their way down, that’s the need for the scaffolding.
“Clearly the investment is significant. Anyone who would want to use the pub would want to make sure the roof is in the best order in order to do the rest of the works.”
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The scaffolding secures the building while internal work takes place to reconfigure the ground floor into a shop and cafe space, with the existing kitchen and toilets being retained.
The area known as the former Smithy, which fronts onto School Lane will be converted into a wine bar.
Upstairs, work will take place to create four double-bed guest rooms.
It is believed that the scaffolding around The Greyhound appeared late last November.
Cllr Howe then suggested that work has been held up as a result of recent storms.
He said: “They did need some good weather, storms may have had an impact.
“I believe the goal is to have the renovations and fittings to be complete by the end of this year.”
H’artisan has a partnership with the Rapha Cycling Club, by providing a space for cyclists to meet in its current location.
It is expected that the partnership will continue, with 20 cycle spaces being provided as part of The Greyhound project.
Cllr Howe said: “Anybody who lives in Wargrave will know that it’s a very popular cycling area.
“When I go to Henley to the gym at the weekends there’s always a lot of cyclists in the winter and many more in the summer.”
Outside, minor modifications to the exterior will be made. The gold Greyhound lettering is expected to remain.
Meanwhile, extensions to an existing outbuilding will create flexible office space use.
The H’artisan owners have not responded to a request for comment. You can view the approved project by typing reference 223795 into Wokingham Borough Council’s planning portal.
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