One of Swindon Old Town’s most historic pubs is to re-open later this month following a £300,000 refurbishment, creating up to seven new jobs in the process.
Goddard Arms, pub and hotel on the High Street in the Old Town closes Monday 10th March and is set to re-launch on Wednesday 26th March after a sixteen day makeover. The grade II listed building, which has been trading as a pub since 1820 and was once the venue for Swindon Town Hall, is being sympathetically refurbished to update the building, yet it will retain all its existing period features.
Externally, ivy cladding the red brick frontage will be cut back, new sleek black and gold signage will be hung and the garden and car park will be spruced up. Inside, the bar and restaurant areas will enjoy a top to toe makeover.
General Manager George Hoare and his team will be hosting a champagne and canapé reception for invited guests and local businesses to take a sneaky first look at the pub from 5pm on Wednesday 26th March before doors open at 7pm.
“The Goddard Arms is such an iconic building in the Old Town and so the refurbishment has created quite an air of excitement”, said Goddard Arms’ general manager George Hoare, adding, “We know it won’t disappoint and we can’t wait to show off the pub’s new stylish look to our customers. Whilst people will notice a big change we’ve been very careful to ensure we retain all the characterful period features that make the Goddard Arms special.”
Food is to become a big focus at the pub with a brand new menu being introduced offering quality freshly prepared dishes. Customers can enjoy mouth-watering dishes such as Open Chicken Pie, Twice-Cooked Lamb Ribs, sharing platters like a new Fisherman’s Board; and a choice of dishes under 500 calories, that certainly make up in flavour for what they lack in calorie content. The pub will also be introducing a new Sunday roast menu too – a choice of three meats, a 35-day-aged British rib-eye beef served with freshly made Yorkshire pudding, British free-range pork loin or Norfolk reared turkey, accompanied by crispy roast potatoes and roasted parsnips, seasonal vegetables and a selection of sauces.
In addition to the new menu the pub will offer a regularly rotating selection of national and locally brewed cask ales, as well as an extensive choice of wines and cocktails.
“We are particularly thrilled to be introducing a brand new menu to coincide with the pub’s re-launch. The new dishes will all be freshly prepared using quality ingredients and we’ll be serving every day from 9.00am for breakfast and continue until 10.00pm”, added George.
Customers can book a table to dine or hotel room by calling the pub on 01793 619090 or emailing goddardarms.swindon@stonegatepubs.com