Refurbishing a listed building is no easy task. But, as Ewan Turney discovered, 18 months and £170,000 later, the Hewas Inn at Sticker, Cornwall, was restored to its former glory
The tenants
Dave and Amanda Rowe
The Cornish couple had been managing St Austell pubs for 12 years before realising their 'dream' of taking on a tenancy agreement with the company in October 2003.
'We only agreed to take the Hewas if there was refurbishment,' says Amanda. 'It was a dear old pub but very, very tired.'
The refurbishment had its own distinct challenges. The Hewas is Grade-II listed, so all work had to be carried out in keeping with the fabric and character of the building.
The couple had huge input on the design - 'It was around 95% down to us,' says Amanda. St Austell hired a designer who talked to the Rowes and returned with ideas and plans - some of which were taken up while others were discarded. From planning to finalisation, the refurbishment took 18 months and cost £170,000. The Rowes spent £30,000 themselves, mainly on furniture, carpets, and kitchen and cellar equipment. A percentage is repayable to St Austell by way of an agreed rent increase.
The pub closed for just one month. 'It was a risk and you have to be completely committed to it,' says Amanda. This is what they did and how...
The challenges
The pub shut for a month and, without action, customers could have gone elsewhere permanently. But the Rowes had a cunning plan to keep their customers loyal. While the pub was closed, Dave organised a tour of St Austell brewery, paying for everything, including taxis there and back.
Also, due to the popularity of the Hewas quiz night, the couple rounded up locals and took them to the Western Inn in St Austell to participate in their quiz. 'We managed to keep everyone together and take them out,' says Dave. 'It did work out expensive but it paid off in the end.'
Cost of customer activities: £500
The team
Dave and Amanda value their team highly but with a refurbishment and a period of closure comes a decision. Do you lay off some of your staff to cut costs? The Rowes would not hear of it.
'Without your staff you are nothing,' says Amanda. 'You have to look after them. We have a good team here.'
Team members were asked to save up holiday in preparation for when the pub closed for a month and they were all paid throughout the refurbishment programme. 'They helped us the week when we shut and the week we reopened. They helped to clean and were brilliant. No-one said 'well I'm a waitress or a cook'. It was a big team effort.'
Cost: 'priceless'
Bar
You don't mess with Dave when it comes to 'his' bar. 'I had that just the way I wanted it,' he says. Amanda remembers: 'There was no arguing with him over the bar.'
The back bar is reclaimed wood to fit the pub's style and character. The bar top was resurrected from a former life in Newquay's Central Inn - it had been stored at the brewery for more than 30 years prior to being given its new lease of life. The couple insisted on having slate around the bar to maintain the pub's old-fashioned feel.
The only concession made to Amanda was to install tills on the front bar rather than the back. 'I do like my bar,' marvels Dave.
Cost: £8,000
Kitchen
The kitchen was of particular importance to Amanda as head chef, and the old one was completely gutted and moved to where the cellar once was. The new kitchen, complete with up-to-date extraction systems, has helped food sales increase and the pub's wet-dry split is now approaching 50:50.
All food is made from fresh, local produce and sold at reasonable prices. The couple work to a 50% GP margin on food - modest by some pubs standards - but Amanda says she 'would rather earn busy halfpennies than lonely pennies'. The menu was not changed after the refurb as Amanda is a firm believer in the rule: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'
Cost: £20,000
Dining area
On the site of the old kitchen is the new dining area. The smoke-free zone has added 35 covers to the pub. There are now 80 seats for diners with 90% of areas smoke-free. In keeping with the style, all the tables and chairs, although brand new, are made from reclaimed wood.
'Even though we've gained the seats, we are still turning people away on Fridays and Saturdays,' says Amanda. 'Even on Sundays we are full because of the quiz we run. Because it is so popular, people book a table and come in for dinner too.'
Cost: furniture - £7,000, dining area and new bar area - £70,000
Toilets
The toilets were given top priority. 'They were ancient and had not been done since I was a lad old enough to drink,' says Dave. So the old loos were ripped out and replaced while Portaloos in the car park catered for customers' calls of nature. The new washrooms now even include a unisex disabled access toilet. In fact, the pub is fully Disability Discrimination Act compliant, with ramps, split level bar, menus in large type and signs inviting customers with special needs to ask staff for help.
Cost: disabled toilet - £8,000, others - £10,000
Finishing touches
The village was home to around 3,000 tin miners until the mines closed in the 1950s. Sticker is proud of its heritage and the Rowes felt it was important to reflect that in the pub.
Word went out that they were looking for local memorabilia and there was a great response. 'We had little old ladies offering us pictures and ornaments,' says Amanda. 'We do a lot with the Womens' Institute and we got loads of stuff.'
All the paintings, artefacts and pictures in the pub are of Sticker and many reflect its mining and farming past. Even the menu cover sports a picture celebrating the village's tin mining which the Rowes commissioned from local artist Jo Bond.
Cost: £0
Cellar
The cellar has moved just about as far across the pub as it could have done. Formerly a humble storeroom, the new cellar is fully equipped with all the latest mod-cons for serving good quality beer at the right temperature. It is complete with an electric hoist, racking and stillages.
Cost: £3,000
Results
Turnover has increased by 50% since the refurbishment and the pub has just been awarded a bronze medal in Cornwall's Pub of the Year competition.
In the summer, turnover increased 80% to 90% on last year. People travel from more than 35 miles away to the pub, business is booming and potential diners are regularly turned away on Friday and Saturday nights.
Most importantly for Dave and Amanda, the customers love the new Hewas. 'It had to be right for us but, more importantly, it had to be right for the business,' says Amanda. 'It had to be a traditional Cornish pub and thankfully we have not had one negative comment - and that is from people who have been drinking here for more than 40 years. And old people don't like change.'
Dave and Amanda are very satisfied. 'I am as content as I have ever been,' says Amanda. 'I love my pub.'