Bournemouth Pub Reopens After £420k Transformation.

The Athelstan Arms on Cranleigh Road in Bournemouth has reopened just in time to celebrate Halloween, following a major investment.

The pub is part of Proper Pubs, the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, which operates more than 220 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.

Behind the bar is passionate community hero and experienced operator, Matt England, who is local to the area and brings almost two decades’ experience to the Athelstan Arms. Previously, Matt has run several hospitality venues across London, Bristol and Reading and for the last 18- months has been at the helm of a nearby pub in Southbourne. 

Inside, The Athelstan has undergone a complete transformation including all new fixtures, fittings, flooring, and furniture to give the pub a fresh lease of life. The interior will also benefit from a revitalised, nature-inspired colour scheme – mixing earthy paint colours and bold patterned wallpapers – that will seamlessly blend modernity with tradition. In addition, customers can look forward to a dedicated sports zone featuring a brand new pool table, a feature darts wall and four state of the art television screens complete with Sky Sports, TNT and horse racing channels.

Outside, The Athelstan’s beer garden has been significantly expanded to seat up to 150 people, offering ample space for community events throughout the year, and a new terraced area along with atmospheric festoon lighting. For special occasions, the outdoor area can accommodate a pop up bar to make the ordering system as efficient as possible.

To complete the pub’s brand new look, it has been fitted with brand new lighting and signage to welcome guests.

The Athelstan Arms will offer a wide range of drinks promotions, including Wine Wednesday, where customers can get £2 off a bottle, Fizz Friday, offering customers a bottle of fizz for £10, along with cocktails, bottle and shot deals throughout the week.

Matt England, operator of The Athelstan Arms, said: “It’s been a fantastic journey watching The Athelstan’s transformation come to life over the past few months. The entire team, including everyone at Proper Pubs, has truly gone the extra mile to get the pub to where it is now and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the support. I look forward to welcoming old and new customers back to the pub to show off its brand new look and everything it has to offer!”

On top of the fantastic drinks selection, Matt will be hosting a busy schedule of regular entertainment including live acoustic evenings every a Friday’s and DJs playing on Saturdays.

Going forward, he hopes to introduce regular mid-week quiz nights for customers looking to enjoy a bit of friendly competition.

In addition, the operator is committed to supporting an array of important charities and local initiatives close to his heart. To start with, he will be collecting food to donate to the local foodbank and raising money to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed at the pub.

Matt Gurney, Operations Director for Proper Pubs, said: “I’m delighted to see how well this incredible refurbishment is progressing and I look forward to seeing Matt realise his vision for The Athelstan Arms. It’s such a brilliant community pub with so much to offer and I’m confident that Matt will be able to unlock its full potential as a result of this investment.

On behalf of myself and the Proper Pubs team, we wish Matt all the best and for everything that’s to come.”

Proper Pubs is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives and in March 2024, it was crowned Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards. Last year, Proper Pubs also successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has already saved 11 lives.

The Athelstan Arms, Cranleigh Road, Bournemouth BH6 5JZ