TWELVE new jobs are being created at a riverside pub in Wallingford where a £160,000 revamp is about to get under way.

The Boat House in High Street will close on Monday so work can start. It will reopen on Monday, December 1.

Spirit Pub Company, which owns the pub, said the Boat House would receive a “complete makeover” to create a brighter feel inside. It is the second time in three years the pub has been refurbished.

In 2012, a £185,000 makeover was completed, with new furniture, HD TVs, bar area and refurbished toilets.

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General manager Tara Minshell, 22, said as well as the refurbishment, work would be carried out to fix the roof.

She said: “There are a few leaks so we need to fix those to stop the rain getting in.”

Ms Minshell said she and her partner Anthony Weston, 25, recently moved from the Birmingham area to run the pub, after taking over from Chris Farham, a temporary manager.

She said: “We are going to brighten up the whole place and change the colour scheme from beige to blue and grey.

“We are also going to take out any wooden partitions so that the pub has a more open-plan feel, and bring in a big leather Chesterfield sofa.

“We are also changing the look of the bar area with some new tiling, and will bring back Sky Sports. We want the pub to be at the heart of the community and we will have a quiz night and swap the pool table for a darts board.”

Ms Minshell said the pub wanted to cater for locals and visitors enjoying a meal and a drink. She added: “On Sunday, December 7 there will be a singer performing some wartime songs at about 6.30pm.”

The new jobs will be full and part-time positions.

Town councillor and former mayor Bernard Stone said he was delighted the pub company was investing in the Boat House. He said: “Any investment that is creating new jobs has to be a good thing.

“The traditional pub market is under severe threat, so it’s good to see pub companies investing in this way.

“The building must date back to the late 1800s and it’s in the conservation area.

“In the late 1970s it was the Nautical Wheel restaurant, and in the late 1980s before it became a pub it was The Regatta restaurant, which was very upmarket.

“The town council is in the process of putting up Welcome to Wallingford signs on the banks of the river as you approach from both directions, which should encourage people to stop and visit the Boat House and other pubs and restaurants in the town.”

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