‘There’s a lot of history in this one building and we want to honour that’
A historic pub in Atherton has undergone a major £170k revamp and has changed its name back to its original
A Wigan pub is reopening with a name which harks back to its former glory in the 1800s.
The Kings Head, which was formerly known as The Weaver’s Rest, will officially reopen its doors today (Friday, August 8) following a major £170,000 revamp.
Located on Market Place in Atherton, the pub has previously been hailed as ‘part of the fabric of the town’ and has had many different identities over the years. Locals may recognise it for its time as The Last Orders, which was known in the 1970s as a popular weekday spot for its discos.
The historic inn has now been taken over by Proper Pubs, a division of Admiral Taverns, alongside operator Cameron Warburton, who is joined by his husband Matthew and has over 15 years within the hospitality and pub industry.
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The pub’s original green tiles were discovered during the start of the pub’s refurb and are now proudly on show again
“We wanted a pub that was a bit salt-of-the-earth and one needed a bit of love and devotion to bring it back to life,” Cameron told the Manchester Evening News. “We came across this venue and thought it was just perfect for us.”
The space has received a full kit-out with a new neutral, earthy colour palette, as well as a new bar area, new furniture and traditional wooden-style flooring. It has also been given quirky fixtures and fittings in keeping with the charm of the venue’s legacy.
For Cameron, the idea to revert the Atherton pub back to its past namesake happened as the early stages of the revamp work began on the building – and said it just made sense.
“When we took all the paint work off the outside of the building, we found the original signage saying Kings Head and we thought it was a really important bit of local history,” he explains. “So, we decided to take it back to its original name and features.
The pub has received a ‘full kit-out’ with a new pool table and darts board
“The building was called Kings Head after serving as a school house, and there’s even tunnels that link the pub to the church. We’ve also since discovered that it’s supposedly haunted, as well. But I guess that comes with the territory of it being an old building!”
The refurb also unearthed the original green tiles on the exterior of the building, which had been hidden for years by paint work. Cameron and the team have restored the tiling to its original glory, as well as a big mosaic floor tile which captures the attention of visitors as soon as they walk in.
“There’s a lot of history in this one building and we want to honour that whilst also delivering something new and refreshing for the area. I think we’ve managed to do that.”
The original King’s Head Hotel in Atherton, in the early 1900s
As well as boasting the area’s largest beer gardens, the venue also features new lighting and signage, as well as several flat screen TVs to host horse racing and sports events, as well as its own pool table and darts board.
And Cameron says he has big plans for the venue – and makes no apologies for it. “We want to turn it into the entertainment venue of Atherton,” he claims.
“We plan to have live entertainment on five nights a week – whether it’s live singers, bingo, or drag queens. We went to change the whole dynamic of what the pub used to be and bring life back to it.
Original mosaic tiling on the floor has also been unearthed and restored
“Back in the day, there used to be around eight pubs on the high street and now there’s close to 20 pubs, bars and restaurants. It can be quite competitive but, actually, we have a really nice scene where everything offers something different and that’s what we’re trying to achieve with our entertainment.”
And, Cameron says there has been a lot of positivity about the venue too. “There’s been a lot of excitement about us reopening,” Cameron says. “People have been really happy that we have been changing its name back to its original. We’ve had lots of positive reaction online, which has made us feel like we have made the right decision there.”
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Kings Head will officially reopen to the community at 6pm and will host a special performance from local father-daughter duo, The Stand Inns, at 7:30pm followed by a live DJ set.
The team plan on making the pub the ‘entertainment venue of Atherton’
The pub 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.
Matthew Gurney, Operations Director for Proper Pubs, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Cameron and Matthew to The Kings Head and it’s great to see how well the refurbishment is progressing. We’re currently getting those last few finishing touches sorted before we welcome the community back tomorrow.
“On behalf of myself and the Proper Pubs team, I would like to thank everyone for all their hard work at The Kings Head so far and I wish our operators the very best of luck with their big reopening night!”
Kings Head is on 8 Market Place, Atherton, M46 0EG.