After six months of negotiations with Spirit pub company a lease agreement was finally signed on 1 August 2012. Dushan Salwathura, currently Landlord of The Broad Face in Bridge Street, is to be the new Landlord of the Nags Head.
The Nag’s Head refurbishment plan had been ready for weeks and, following the hand over of the keys,
clearing up began.
Currently the grounds are a closed area to the public for health and safety reasons and Salters steamers are having to find elsewhere to disembark their passengers.
Local tradesmen, tree surgeons and garden clearers set to work creating a safe place for customers to enjoy the island before the actual pub opens in October.
It is hoped that The Bridge Café, Bar and Grill in the beautiful riverside gardens will be running by the end of August with porta-loos available.
Meanwhile work will continue on the interior and exterior with Qi-Decorators – a Simon House community project supported by A2Dominion , under the supervision of their workshop tutor, Mike Higgins. Mike said “this is an ideal opportunity to integrate the newly skilled workshop members into the outside workplace and this experience will be a valuable exercise in helping them gain further employment.”
Week one has been full on with the lovely weather helping to speed up the stripping out process.
The team discovered what could be an 18th century fireplace in the lounge area, and what could be 16th century interior window apertures. Dusham would love to get hold of some pictures of the public house in days gone by.
All the ceilings, walls and wood panelling have now been prepped.
Next week will see the flooring, stripped, prepped and finished in traditional walnut stain.
The scaffolding will then go up and renovation of the outside will follow.
I asked Dushan if he had managed to watch the Olympics, but he said he had been far too busy. The Nags Head was his Olympics.
Sounds fantastic. The Nag’s Head was already closed when I came to Abingdon so I am looking forward to getting into the buildng and those gardens. I always thought that it was a pity that a building so old and so ideally placed by the River should be allowed to fall into disuse. I wish the new Landlord every success.
I used to commute home on the evening Salters steamer from my holiday job as relief lock keeper at Sandford, landing at the Nags Head. I did occasionally sneak a pint in before cycling home.
Best wishes for this project. Properly handled, the Nags Head site could be as successful as The Trout at Godstow.
I’m going to remain positive on this one!
I really hope the Manager and team are able to make it into the pub it should be. Friendly, welcoming, not too expensive and good food. No pressure then! I’m not a huge fan of the Broad Face, sometimes it’s OK, but went in there the other day and there was a total of 6 people in the bar and the barman singing along to 60s music – not really my cup of tea (glass of wine) 🙂
and the last time I went into the Broad Face, several months ago to have lunch with a friend they couldn’t produce anything at all to eat that was gluten-free so we left and I haven’t been back.
All this is good news for Abingdon, this can be a great pub if managed in the right way, good food is a must as it will need to have a catch come the winter and the gardens are too cold to sit in. Good luck
Good luck to them,This pub is a goldmine in the right hands,
and no greedy king involvement has got o be good news.
I’m happy to see the Nags Head being reopened. This could be such a great pub! I remember long sunny days drinking beer in the garden. Good times!
I have very found memories of the Nags Head when it used to be a rock bar in the late 80’s early 90’s. It was half the size then. I went in there a few months before it recently closed whenever that was and genuinely felt threatened by the customers. The vast majority were clearly underage and power drinking Stella!!!
I echo the thoughts of others though. Good quaility food and locally sourced Real Ale and you are onto a winner!! Keep away from horrible Green King beer and with that garden it will be a gold mine!! Good luck