Winchester pub: William Walker reopens after an £80,000 refurb and adding new dishes to its menu

This is the second upgrade for The William Walker in The Square since 2016, where £500,000 was spent by owners Fullers.

The new look William Walker reopened its doors on April 1 - and deputy manager Mitch Parker said that punters have been enjoying its eclectic mix of William Walker memorabilia, with its historical, yet modern style.

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William Walker was a deep sea diver who was called in to help the Cathedral in the early 1900s when huge cracks started to appear in its walls.

Walker worked under ground in water to shore up the foundations of the building for six years.

The pub's swing sign is a diver's helmet and is one of an array of unusual features scattered throughout the venue.

Mitch said the refurb has helped make them look great and showcase things like the venue's beautiful brass topped bar, which is surrounded by ornate tiling.

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He said: "We want people to walk past and be interested in coming in. We're trying to make sure it looks the best it can do.

"There was a lot of behind the scenes work to do. We do really well in the winter months, so Fullers granted us a refurb.

"Trading has been different over the past year and a half, but now things have gone back to normal a little bit more, so we thought we'd go off with a bang in 2022 and get everything sorted."

Spending around £80,000, the pub, which boasts 55 seats for drinking and dining, brushed up on the decor to keep things looking fresh, while installing new artwork, flooring, paint and furniture.

The team also used the opportunity to upgrade the menu.

Head chef, Phil Hedley, has put together a menu that brings together seasonal ingredients in light, fresh dishes, traditional classics and hearty grills, while also delivering sharing and snacking plates.

Mitch said: "The quality of our dishes has gone through the roof. There are things we've never even thought about that is now on the menu.

"We've introduced eating while you're drinking, so we put high tables by the bar where customers can order bar board selections, with home made scotch eggs, pork scratchings and sausage rolls that are made fresh every day."

While the team put their effort into bringing customers in, Mitch said he was disappointed to not be able to put tables and chairs outside of the pub.

The 21-year-old said: "Sadly the one thing we couldn't do, is get outside seating, especially for the Jubilee. It's really disheartening, especially after putting in some effort with a new refurb."

Winchester City Council said that it had not received sufficient information from the pub to give it permission to close the road.

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