A publican who has taken on the challenge of transforming a disused Marlow pub has said the establishment will retain its traditional charm as the list of 'high brow' eateries in the town continues to grow.

It was revealed earlier this week that The Three Horseshoes on the Wycombe Road would reopen in the next couple of weeks, with management hoping to transform it to a bar and grill, depending on the custom.

However the new manager, Trevor Hunt – who currently runs the rising sun in Hurley – is adamant that high end bars, such as the newly opened Botanist on West Street will be no competition for the Three Horse Shoes once it undergoes a facelift.

He said: “I feel that some pubs should have closed as they have not kept up to date or reinvested into their outlet to account for the changing needs of customers. . I think the days of the corner “boozer” are in decline in most areas but there will still be outlets that can survive on drinkers alone.

“There is a lot of eateries in Marlow, most are appealing to a high end market that are converted retail shop space.

“I have not yet been into the Botanist so I can’t comment on the style of operation but I personally don’t think it will be a close competitor."

And Mr Hunt believes social media is the key to putting the pub back on the radar.

He said: “The Horseshoes used to be a busy and vibrant outlet. We plan to embrace modern communications methods – Facebook, website, twitter etc, none of which were used before."

When it first reopens after a complete clean through Mr Hunt said only drinks will be on sale until the customer base has been assessed.

However Tracy Hudson, landlady of the Duke of Cambridge on Queens’s road believes the traditional pub is dying out as the demand for ‘trendy’ hot spots are on the rise.

She said: “There is a huge demand for bars in Marlow and they are all making money. It seems to be the place to be – It is doing even more popular then Henley it seems.

“You can only have so much of one thing though. Soon people will get bored of them and want to head back to a more traditional pub.

“They are all busy. They all have business so they chose the right town because there are people willing to pay the dollar but if we put our prices up we would lose the business.

“Tom Kerridge coming in to town is what started it. Marlow is a trendy place to be because of him so everyone is jumping on his back.”

The Three Horseshoes lease was previously owned by the Rebellion Brewery before it was sold to the last manager, Nigel Douglas, in 2006.