Hereford pub to close for MAJOR refurbishment works
The £225,000 revamp of the Volunteer Inn in Harold Street is being undertaken by Heineken-owned Star Pubs and licensee Suzie Tortalino. The pub will close from January 1 and is expected to reopen by early March.
Ms Tortalino took over the Volunteer in August 2023 when it was closed and boarded up. Since then she has worked tirelessly to re-establish it as a popular pub, ending residents’ concerns for its future and creating six new jobs.
Suzie Tortalino at the Volunteer in Harold Street (Image: RussellLewisPhotography.co.uk) Changes have included starting up activities, such as a quiz and open mic night, and turning a disused skittle alley into a function room. The investment will upgrade the Volunteer to reflect all it now offers.
The Volunteer in Harold Street (Image: RussellLewisPhotography.co.uk) The overhaul will carefully renovate the outside of the tired pub, painting it a classic green and adding new signage and lighting. A replacement deck will be built in the pub’s sheltered rear garden complete with new furniture.
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A sympathetic interior makeover will preserve the Volunteer’s character, while adding contemporary touches. The smart new décor will incorporate heritage colours, William Morris-style wallpaper and deep button-back banquette seating and retain features like exposed brickwork and old timber floors.
A commercial kitchen will also be installed to enable Ms Tortalino to offer an extended menu of traditional pub classics ranging from small sharing plates to fish and chips, burgers and Sunday roasts.
The planned revamp of the Volunteer in Harold Street (Image: Star Pubs) Reflecting the Volunteer’s links to the former military barracks opposite, Ms Tortalino is installing a display of local militaria, much of it donated by customers and residents. This will show photographs of the barracks and the pub over time and military memorabilia. A plaque on the outside of the Volunteer, erected by the Rifles, will continue to have pride of place and commemorate the Herefordshire Regiment, who marched to war from Harold Street in 1914 and 1939.
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“I’ve been very grateful for the amazing support we’ve had from the community since reopening the Volunteer. The refurbishment wouldn’t have been possible without it,” Ms Tortalino said.
The plaque outside the Volunteer in Harold Street (Image: RussellLewisPhotography.co.uk) “I’ve worked in pubs around the UK and never known such friendly customers. It’s thanks to them that the Volunteer has such a wonderful atmosphere. We’ve got regulars of all ages, and they make anyone who comes to the pub feel included. I’m really excited about the designs and can’t wait to show customers their new-look local.”
Star Pubs investment manager Aubrey Taylor said: “Suzie has put her all into the Volunteer and has restored it as a real hub of the community. We’re delighted to be backing her plans and investing in such a well-known pub.