WINCHESTER’S longest-running vacant pub could be re-opening.
Star Pubs and Bars is hoping to re-open the First In Last Out, also known as Filo, as soon as possible after more than four years of the free house being empty.
The company plans to spend £240,000 refurbishing the historic pub, in Wales Street, which was closed due to structural issues in 2019.
New signs that read “refurbishment planned”, “lease this pub” have been installed with a picture of the proposed design.
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A spokesperson for Star Pubs and Bars said: “The company intends to spend £240,000 on a major revamp of the First In Last Out, subject to recruiting a new licensee, to create a top-quality community local.
“The investment will see a new kitchen introduced to enable the pub to offer pub classics and an upgrade of the interior decor including new dining furniture and a darts area with LED halo dartboard and electronic scoreboard.
“The exterior of the pub will also benefit from redecoration and the creation of a landscaped riverside garden with waterproof sail, festoon lighting and picnic style benches for alfresco eating and drinking.”
Currently, the garden is overgrown with weeds even sprouting from the door and the windows are boarded up.
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Urgent structural works were carried out on the listed building in 2021, with the entire gable end wall not being properly attached to the rest of the building.
In 2013, its bedrooms were pegged as the worst B&B rooms in the country and featured on the TV programme The Hotel Inspector when it tried, unsuccessfully, to turn it round.
The First In Last Out has been dispensing beer since at least 1896, originally as a beer-house that was licensed to sell beer but not spirits.
The pub has been a free house since 1976 having previously been a Charringtons house.
Filo has been listed on the website findmypub with an ingoing cost of £38,291
and annual rent of £27,165. For more information call Star Pubs and Bars on 08085 94 95 96 or go to starpubs.co.uk.
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