New barn at Alston Arms

New barn built at Alston Arms to cater for increased trade

Alex Coward celebrated the completion of a £50k external refurbishment of the Alston Pub & Dining near Longridge and unveiled a new build barn, a year after taking on the pub and transforming its fortunes.

This is our second investment with Alex Coward in a year, which has created a further eight full-time jobs at the pub. The first refurbishment was a £140K complete overhaul of the pub, creating a modern country inn and beer garden.

The latest investment has been spent on a substantial new build timber frame barn with sliding doors which open onto a secret garden with festoon lighting, ideal for barbecues. The barn seats up to 40 people on rattan sofas and tables and is suitable for private dining, local club meetings and parties, or as overflow seating on weekends when the pub is busy.

Funds have also been spent on a new terrace and creation of 12 additional parking spaces to cater for the increased trade at the pub.

Alex expressed his thoughts on the latest changes: “Since taking on the pub last year we’ve upgraded the interior and exterior, and introduced the type of food villagers and customers told us they wanted – great quality, country pub food at affordable prices. We’ve also established good relations with local clubs such as the Longridge town football teams. As a result, trade has doubled and we needed to expand. Customers who’ve seen the new barn and secret garden absolutely love it. There’s nothing like it in the area. The Alston Pub & Dining is in a wonderful setting. It just needed investment and an appreciation of what customers want to realise its potential.”

Lawson Mountstevens, Managing Director of Star Pubs & Bars said: “Alex and his team have done a great job creating a top quality, friendly pub that people want to visit. Customers love what they’re doing so it’s not surprising they have got a Trip Advisor certificate of excellence. The new space will be a real asset to the pub and the community.”