Southampton pubs reopens after £85,000 refurbishment

The Bricklayers Arms, a traditional community pub in the bustling town of Southampton, has reopened this weekend following a £85,000 joint refurbishment by Admiral Taverns, the UK’s leading community pub group.

The pub, located close to the Port of Southampton, reopened on Monday 24th August with a welcoming reception from their community which saw the pub full. Licensee, Patricia and Steve Ribton, who with the help of their daughter, Becky Wright only took over the pub two weeks before lockdown forced it to close, welcomed their wonderful community back with an exciting refurbishment, which includes new furniture, carpets, a new cellar system and even a new beautiful bar.

Patricia and Steve are certainly not strangers to the area having taken on the pub over five years ago. The reopening saw the popular landlord and landlady receive lots of support and well-wishing from the community. They both have a wealth of experience in the industry, with Patricia running pubs since she was just 18 years old.

Patricia Ribton, licensee at the Bricklayers Arms, commented on returning to the pub: “It’s a dream come true to be back behind the bar at one of our favourite pubs we know so well. The pub needed a freshen up, and it’s great to see it looking brand new again. The feedback we’ve received has made the wait to reopen worth it, and it was great to work with Admiral Taverns to make our vision for the pub a reality.”

As well as the refurbishment, the Bricklayers Arms have worked hard to ensure the pub is COVID-19 compliant and that all guidelines are followed to protect their staff and customers. Hand sanitiser stations are located around the pub, one-way systems have been implemented and they now offer table service. There is also a beautiful beer garden situated to the rear of the pub for guests to enjoy a drink and some food outside.

Due to the current restrictions, there are no immediate plans for entertainment, however there are plans in the pipe line to introduce karaoke nights, live music once a month, curry nights, quiz nights and even horse racing nights. The pub also shows live Sky Sports and BT sports every week, hugely important with a fantastic following of Southampton football fans. Local residents can enjoy a great selection of drinks, including Fosters, John Smiths, Guinness, Manger’s and Strongbow to name a few. The pub is currently offering bar snacks, including hot pies, fresh baked rolls and toasties, with plans to introduce a larger menu.

Nick Lawson, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns commented: “It’s very exciting to welcome back two friendly faces to this magnificent pub, who are very well known in the area. We are confident that the vision ourselves and Patricia and Steve have set out will ensure great success of the pub. The refurbishment looks amazing, I would certainly recommend a visit for a great day out!”