A pub that was badly damaged by a fire and was shut for more than 10 months has announced that a new terrace and tepee have been installed.
The Royal Oak in Marlow, which was closed between September 2019 to July 2020, revealed the new additions to the pub via Twitter.
The terrace boasts a jumbo umbrella, rugs, cushions and heaters, whilst the tepee was first used on the weekend of October 10 and 11.
The pub has come a long way since the fire, with assistant manager Ben Parks, who joined the Royal Oak not long after lockdown was lifted in the summer, hoping it will be a positive autumn for the Frieth Road venue.
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On reopening during the pandemic, Ben said: “It has been a learning curve in terms of adapting to the new rules, but we were lucky with the tables, outside in particular in the summer, as they were fairly spaced out, so we didn’t really lose any space on the outside.
“It was in the inside where we had to compromise a little bit, but we have managed to maintain a great number of tables to generate a great atmosphere whilst also making people safe at the same time.”
The tepee at the Royal Oak in Marlow
On the tepee and new terrace, he added: “With the terracing, it was a way of replacing the tables that we lost due to coronavirus and social distancing.
“We realised that it was a beautiful space and it was close enough to the restaurant in order to make it very useable, even in the cold weather.
“We have capitalised on that and have made it very dynamic as well.
“It has completely regenerated the place and it makes it look amazing.”
For more information, visit www.royaloakmarlow.co.uk.
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