Alun Rossiter (left) landlord of the Southbrook Inn, with James and George Arkell
Arkell’s Brewery has invested £100,000 in a new toilet block at the rear of the Southbrook Inn, Swindon.
Brewery chairman, James Arkell, visited the pub to officially open the loos, along with his son, George Arkell (managing director), with pub landlord and Swindon Speedway supremo, Alun Rossiter.
James said: “We bought The Southbrook Inn a couple of years ago, but I’d had my eye on it for a long time. It was originally a farmhouse and part of the old Goddard Estate in Swindon, but was converted to a pub in the mid- 20th century and we are only its third owners.
“As a pub, it’s the essence of what Arkell’s is all about in Swindon. It’s proud to serve the local communities of Southbrook, Ferndale and beyond, and thanks to the local celebrity status of our landlord, Alun Rossiter, who manages the Swindon Robins, it draws customers from much further afield.”
The Southbrook Inn’s large function room is at the back of the pub, but until the new toilets were installed, customers had to trek back right through the pub to use the facilities.
James added: “The Southbrook is on a substantial plot, so we decided to do a proper job and build a whole new toilet extension, including disabled facilities.”
Alun said: “I took over running The Southbrook Inn just before Christmas and this is a brilliant addition to the pub’s facilities. I always say that The Southbrook is Swindon’s best kept pub secret. It’s like a rural pub in the suburbs — there’s so much greenery, car parking and space for families, which is pretty unusual in a town the size of Swindon.”
