Joule’s Brewery opens another beautifully refurbished pub today, this time the Shakespeare Inn, Bridgnorth, which becomes a Joule’s Brewery Taphouse.
It is being managed by Tony and Gill Williams, who have moved from another Joule’s Taphouse, the Bricklayers Arms, in Shrewsbury.
Over the past few months, a team of dedicated Joule’s crafts people has been carefully restoring the Shakespeare to encapsulate everything that is great about the English pub. Joule’s commissioned a beautiful array of traditional stained-glass windows. These were created by Paul Georgiou, whose work can be seen in many Joule’s Pubs, signed off by his mark of the honey bee, depicting the pub as the honey pot of the community.
A key part of the restoration has been the creation and restoration of the Boathouse, which is a nod to Bridgnorth’s oldest society, Bridgnorth Rowing Club, established in 1865. The Shakespeare is now a proud sponsor of the club and will host fundraising evenings for the club and Bridgnorth community to support.
The Boathouse, tucked away across the beer courtyard, now forms a new part of the Shakespeare where visitors can enjoy Sunday lunches and community events, offering a place for local clubs and societies to meet. It has reclaimed oak panelling and new ‘slip bricks’ from Stoke on Trent potter H E Smith, complimented by specialist enamel beer signage, authentic to Joule’s.
Team effort
Property manager, Marie Poole, said: “We’re proud to have many craftsmen who contribute to all our taps and have such joy in their work. Our philosophy is to allow our whole team a great deal of latitude in how they interpret our ideas.
“Our projects are very much a team effort — we don’t have any designers. Each of our tradesmen put their own ideas into the work, and I hope people will see the care and research that has gone into the restoration of the Shakespeare.”
Tony Williams said: “We are very excited about the refurbishment of this great old pub and I am looking forward to bringing our winning formula from the Bricklayers Arms, in Shrewsbury, to the Shakespeare, focusing on great beers and wines, great locally-sourced food and excellent service.
“We look forward to meeting all our new customers, who will not only be customers but also become friends. Between Gill and me we have nearly 60 years’ experience in the trade, and along with Joule’s, we hope that our combined love of the pub will make the Shakespeare the best place to be in town.”
Gill added: “We will run a proper pub with a friendly atmosphere and some decent banter — the type of place where everybody is welcome and everybody feels safe. On top of this we are very locally minded and look to use as many local suppliers as possible. We look forward to seeing you here soon.”
