THE opening of an historic pub in Porton has been delayed until next month.

Restoration work is currently taking place on The Old Railway Hotel, which was the former Porton Hotel.

The name has been changed as a nod to its previous name during the Victorian era, The Porton Railway Hotel.

The revamped venue had been due to reopen this month but will now open on June 21 as work continues to get the site ready to welcome back customers.

A statement posted on the The Old Railway Hotel Facebook page said: "The refurbishment of our Victorian pub/hotel is in full swing, the name has been changed, our excellent chef is secured and the cellar has been refitted.

"All is progressing with the objective of bringing this magnificent building back to its former glory and making it a social hub for the community.

"It was June 1921 after the Spanish Flu pandemic and the fire that this building last had so much work done on it so we knew we had a challenge.

"The amount of work our community consortium has had to do has put our schedule back so we won’t make our proposed opening date of the 17th May as we have had to refit, rewire and re-plumb the building.

"We want the pub/hotel to be right for the community so unfortunately we have had to put the opening date back to the 21st June, a century on from the fire, its large major refurbishment and the Spanish Flu pandemic.

"We hope to welcome you all in June."

Keith Hartland set up a community consortium to buy the Porton Hotel from Enterprise Inns in January to save the pub in the village.

Previously speaking to the Journal he said saving the pub for the community was a big part of the decision to buy it.

He said: "The driver really was to save the pub for the community.

"People just want a community hub and pubs always were the centre of a community.

"It was trying to do our bit for the area."

As part of the refurbishment more hotel rooms are being added and a barn on the site was also demolished due to safety reasons.

The revamped venue will provide a place for nearby workers to enjoy lunch as well as coffee and cake mornings for older residents and offering a family friendly place for the community.

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