Relaunching The Ship from a completely different viewpoint #News

Victoria Hayes
21st February 2020

A Chester pub will soon be seeing things from a completely different viewpoint, thanks to a major refurbishment.

The Ship Inn, in Handbridge, is currently closed to allow work to take place, which will include opening up the conservatory area.

The investment of over £100,000 will also see new toilets and a full makeover of all the interiors in the pub. 

However, it is the change to the conservatory area that Lance Warburton, who runs the pub, says will make the biggest impact.

“It’s really exciting to see our plans taking shape,” he said. “We have a fantastic location which overlooks the River, Edgar’s Field and Minerva’s Shrine but it’s a bit closed off currently.

“The refurbishment will open this all up, as we are replacing our conservatory-style windows with full folding windows, which means you will not only have a much better view but you’ll feel much closer to it as you’ll hear activity on the river and smell the fresh air.

“It will also enable us to make much more of our private dining space, which is a bit of a well-kept secret at the moment. Once we have updated this area with a fresh look, we will be using the space for private celebrations or meetings for up to 20 people.” 

The refurbishment will take around three weeks to complete and Lance is up cycling as much furniture as he can.

He added: “We want to strip our interiors back like the flooring and make more of the features we have. We’ll be reusing as much of our existing furniture as we can but we will give it a new look, so we’re sending furniture away to be spruced up. Overall, it’s going to be mean the pub feels much lighter and more airier.”

It’s not just a new look that is being created, as Lance will also be adding to his team with another four jobs being created in the kitchen and front of house to help support the busy trade.

Lance said: “It’s great to be growing the business. I have been at the Ship Inn for five years and it’s been fantastic to develop this business here in Chester.

“I’m now looking at the next five years and where we might continue to develop. This refurbishment will really support that work and it’s going to be an exciting future for us all.”