Andover’s newly refurbished Wetherspoons pub opens its doors officially on Tuesday morning.
The John Russell Fox has been closed for almost three months as part of a £3.2m investment in the town, which will see the venue become a hotel, adding 29 – or more – rooms, as well as a unique roof terrace.
Love Andover was given a ‘Sneaky Peak’ of the refurbished bar which now offers a brighter, cleaner experience for drinkers and diners. Staff are now uniformed and have undergone a rigorous customer service training programme.
Pub Manager Barry Price said, “The company’s multi-million pound investment highlights our commitment to the town and hopefully it will act as a catalyst for other businesses to invest in Andover too.
“We are really looking forward to officially opening on Tuesday and especially excited about customers downloading our Wetherspoons app, which means you can order your drinks using your mobile phone.
“This will be especially important when we open our amazing roof terrace next year“.
Customers will note that the company have kept their decorative nod to the history of the premises, retaining the original printing press from the early days of the Andover Advertiser, whose founder in 1857 was Mr John Russell Fox. Local author and historian Tony Raper says “Back then, the paper was known by the catchy title of ‘Andover Monthly Advertiser and Illustrated Family Miscellany‘.
The John Russell Fox is part of the JD Weatherspoon chain over 900 pubs in the UK and Ireland and continues to offer craft and global beers as well as a range of different food offers each weekday.