A PUBLICAN has said he is “proud, grateful and a little nervous” after announcing a £1million investment is being made in a pub which has been closed for almost a decade.
Piers Baker, who owns Church Street Tavern, Colchester, and The Sun Inn, Dedham, has revealed he is now reopening The White Hart Inn, in Mersea Island, which shut its doors in 2013.
Mr Baker’s ambitious plans will see the site in High Street benefit from an investment of more than £1million with a partial rebuild and major refurbishment.
Planned to open in late May, the former boozer will be relaunched as a pub and restaurant and is being transformed into a “tasteful, contemporary and eye-catching” venue.
It will boast a “light and welcoming bar” and dining room with an oak-panelled lounge with an open fire and outdoor seating in the terraced garden.
Read more: Landlord: 'Times are hard but I refuse to give up the fight'
Six individually-designed bedrooms with en-suites and sea views will also be available for guests.
Mr Baker said: “Mersea Island is a special place which deserves an independently-owned pub with restaurant and rooms that welcomes locals as much as visitors.
“It has a great community, many of whom are already friends and customers who have told us how much they look forward to us being there.
“If someone told me back in March 2020 I’d be opening a new, third venture in spring 2022, I would never have believed them.
“The turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic, with subsequent trials and tribulations of lockdowns, re-openings, restrictions and more lockdowns, made it impossible to look too far ahead.
“The White Hart Inn has huge potential and ticks all the boxes we were looking for in a third site: A beautiful location close to the sea; a village feel on the high street; and a great island community.
“This is a hugely-exciting step for me, something that wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic support and custom The Sun Inn and Church Street Tavern have enjoyed before and during the pandemic.
“Mersea Island is a special place and I feel proud, grateful, and a little nervous, to be opening there.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel