Five days to opening - is it ready?

So it's only five days until we see the results of the months of hard work at our favourite watering hole. The village awaits as we count down over the coming week to the opening party scheduled for this coming Friday. But one question is on everyone's lips: "Will it be finished?"

We have to take our hats off the efforts of the Culden Faw Estate and Hillbrooke Hotels to get the works close to completion but the gossip coming from the 'shop floor' is that Friday's opening will be short-lived.  For sure, there will be a fun evening as we poke around the new Stag and enjoy (hopefully) the hospitality of the Estate and Hillbrooke. But judging by the state of the site both inside and out, presenting a finished product is highly unlikely by this coming Friday.

For starters, the garden is still a sea of mud. I presume Hillbrooke must be hoping that the party go'ers don't venture outside unless there is turf to be laid this week. But then if turf is laid, will the management want people walking on it so soon after being laid? I think not.  And will the interior be completed? Judging by comments from some of the chaps on site (all unattributed of course), the work is manic with various trades tripping over each other as they frantically try and work through the lengthy 'to do' list each is presented with.

All that said, I can completely appreciate the desire of Hillbrooke to get The Stag and Huntsman open for Friday's big night and to then have the place trading over the Jubilee Weekend. It's the deadline they have said since the work started and so it's understandable that they are pulling out all the stops to open come what may. But one is left asking: at what cost? The smart money is on the place closing soon after Jubilee to finish the works properly and to bring the whole place up to the standard expected.

But in the meantime, the excitement builds and we look forward to an excellent night this coming Friday. Obviously a full report will be provided!  :)

Blockwork Goes Up @ The Stag and Huntsman

It's been a stunning few days in the Hambleden Valley with clear blue winter skies, heavy white frosts and perfect still air. The walkers have been out in droves and the village has been a bustle of activity. All in all a perfect weekend for a beer and a roast lunch at The Stag and Huntsman.

But obviously it is not to be this winter. Visitors to Hambleden continue to be greeted by the renovations and by a web of scaffolding. The building site at the back, guarded as it is by sturdy metal railings, is a picture of industry. Mud, machinery and part built walls now welcome those who find their way into the car park. Those who make a regular pilgrimage to the Hambleden Valley cannot but fail to be impressed by the progress being made. In the last few days, the blockwork to the new extension has really begun to take shape. The photos on the left show just how the pub's entertainment venue, kitchen, store room and manager's flat will look once completed.

The sad thing about looking at this structure as it rises from the ground is the amount of garden it looks likely to swallow up. For Friday night garden regulars, the atmosphere of this most favourite of family evenings looks set to change for ever more. With luck and hopefully with some foresight by the Culden Faw Estate, the garden will retain sufficient space to allow us all to enjoy the last of the summer sun and from which our children can make their excited excursions onto the Dean. 

The saving grace however might be the fact that the garden is also beloved by the walkers who swarm like 'be-sticked' ants along the footpaths and bridleways, guided by dog eared books and in some modern cases, handheld GPS units. The worry however is that the Estate might wish to discourage their patronage given as they are to drinking halves of orange squash and bringing their own sandwiches!


Only time will tell. But as the days count down to the predicted opening of The Stag and Huntsman, all who frequent it, be they be Hambleden regulars or visitors to our beautiful valley wait with eager anticipation. All we need to do now is to see what the builders are doing on the inside!

Exclusive! Opening Date for The Stag and Huntsman, Hambleden

So according to official sources at The Culden Faw Estate, the Stag and Huntsman will reopen for business over the weekend of May Bank Holiday, 2012. What's more, there is a strong commitment from the Estate to preserve the character of the pub right down to reusing some of the old furniture in the areas not affected by the build.

And according to the same source, the quality of the food will be much improved although the menu will not read like a gastro pub. This will be music to many people's ears as the big fear is that The Stag and Huntsman goes the way of so many local pubs and becomes a glorified restaurant.

All in all a very encouraging picture of a pub that, with luck, will open bigger and better than before. And if the menu caters for local tastes and those of the hundreds of walkers that frequent its garden and bars, then the Culden Faw Estate will be onto a winner.  And with the build ahead of schedule thanks to the wonderful Autumn weather, it seems it will not be long until we return to The Stag and Huntsman and the pub we know and love!

Nuclear Bunker & Indoor Pool @ The Stag and Huntsman?

The hole in what was the garden of The Stag and Huntsman is sparking a lot of debate by all accounts. According to one of the hard working builders (on-site on a Saturday), rumours abound as to the purpose of the near 20 foot deep excavation. Nucelar bunker for the village? Fitness pool for the farm boys?  Both have been put forward as suggestions.

While both have their benefits, the answer is perhaps unsurprising. The new cellar, for that is what it will be (no s**t Sherlock) will contain a plant room and a bank full of fridges and freezers for what we presume will be the new gastro element of the pub.

What is certain is that the builders are getting a move on. Work seems to be taking place seven days a week which suggest The Culden Faw Estate wants to meet the six month build window they have been talking about. And rather encouragingly, word from the builders suggests that the character of The Stag and Huntsman is going to be retained. But judging by the work going on, we'll see some dramatic changes over the next few weeks running toward Christmas.

Who is Robin Hartley?

So the builders behind the renovation of The Stag and Huntsman, Hambleden are Robin Hartley & Company, a local Henley builder by all accounts.

For obvious reasons, it would be good to see examples of their work and to see the quality of the end product they build. So it's rather strange that they don't seem to have website. I would have though that any builder commissioned to renovate a building with such history, character and reputation would be able to show a strong track record.

I guess this is another example of the trust we are all placing in The Culden Faw Estate and Mr Schwarzenbach's advisers and staff. With luck, Robin Hartley and Company will build to a design that will win awards and win over the doubters such as yours truly. But the fact that they seem to not be of any great repute judging by their online profile, is going to be of concern.  Again, only time will tell.

The Builders Move Into The Stag and Huntsman Hambleden

So it's a couple of weeks now since the pub was drunk dry and the builders have been busy. In fairness to the Culden Faw Estate, they haven't hung around. The place has been abuzz with the sound of diggers, builders, demolition and site clearance. And by all accounts, there were some dark secrets lurking in the kitchen - secrets you really wouldn't want to think too much about! 

 

So as the Stag and Huntsman was cleared, many of us have been wondering what became of some of our much loved artefacts from the various bars? For example, the Tug of War trophy so proudly won at the last Hambleden Fete; the Tommy Helmet that sat with proud of place in the Public Bar; and the dart board which in days gone by was the scene of such competition. Several regulars spoke of taking a screw driver to time honoured signs such as the 'Public Bar' sign on the door.  What became of all of these things will hopefully become clear when the Stag and Huntsman reopens.

But as you can see from the photos, our beloved pub has taken a battering in the past two weeks. The 'quaint'  outside men's toilet is no more. The garden bar has been assigned to history. The digging has begun on the new extension in the garden. Who knows what skeletons might be uncovered but we all hope that the fact that the builders have got a move on might mean that the six month build schedule is met and that we have a pub back in the village before too long. 

No Banter @ Rugby World Cup

What a difference four years makes. Back in 2007 The Stag was the focal point of our support for England's bid to retain the Rugby World Cup. Our passion for the game was heightened by the fact that the Raging Bull - Mr Phil Vickery - was a resident in the village at that time. Phil was a frequent visitor to The Stag and liked nothing more than a pint or two and a game of darts. Having our resident hero leading England only served to bring the tournament closer to Hambleden and made games viewed in the Public Bar even more tense. For those of us who witnessed South Africa lift the cup in Paris that year, our disappointment was certainly pretty intense as we felt for Phil as well as for the whole England team. But overall, The Stag was for those four or five weeks, the focal point of our support for England and once again brought everyone together.

So here we are in 2011. And this weekend as England scraped past Argentina with a sole try from Ben Youngs, we watched in isolation away from the banter and spirit of The Stag. We have to ask why the Culden Faw Estate chose to close the pub just at the start of the Rugby World Cup. Surely the next four weeks would have been highly profitable if they had been sensible and put on breakfasts and screenings (as Andy Stokes did during a memorable Lions Tour back in 2001). But then I guess they don't breed die hard rugby fans in Switzerland where Estate owner Mr Schwarzenbach comes from.

Drink The Stag Dry - No Last Night Blues

So last night was the night. After a suitably stormy day in the village, the evening sun shone for the swansong of the Stag and Huntsman as we know it. An excellent turn out witnessed the loyal staff receive gifts from the Culden Faw Estate for their valued service (so valued in fact that everyone of them was made redundant....). With a buffet served in the dining room and the best staffed bar for some years, the regulars of Hambleden bade farewell to The Stag for the time being.

Talking to friends around the pub, the general sentiment is one of trepidation and sadness. Trepidation at what might emerge from the rubble of the rebuild and sadness at the loss of old friend. That said, the community holds out hope that the new Stag will retain some of its much loved character and that the developers and interior designers manage to understand the customer base that will frequent it day in and day out. It's not about well heeled shooting types looking for a gastro boutique at which to soak their aches in mock Victorian roll top baths. The Stag is a locals pub that serves a diverse community with good beer and (hopefully) honest decent food!

So farewell to The Stag. Watch this space for reports on the build and for the gossip and feedback from those close to this process.....