Conservation work undertaken by a pub company on a historic building and clock tower has been praised as part of a Derbyshire County Council annual awards scheme.
Punch Taverns, one of the UK’s largest leased and tenanted pub companies, has won a prestigious Greenwatch award in the built environment category for its restoration of the Famous Stillage in Long Eaton.
The building on Main Street dates back to the early 1900s and is part of Punch’s unlicensed estate, containing a furniture shop, fitness centre, accommodation as well as a pub and nightclub.
Angie Brough, unlicensed property manager at Punch, said: “When we acquired the site from Pubmaster in 2003 certain parts of the building were in a state of disrepair and we decided to restore them to their former glory.
“We are committed to investing funds back into our estate and it’s fantastic to gain recognition for the unlicensed side of the business.”
The building had recently been nominated for grant aid as part of a town centre conservation project, the Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme (HERS).
In a joint effort HERS provided £81,000 and Punch invested £86,000 to address the poor state of the leadwork, stone dressings, joinery and clock tower which had become inhabited by a flock of pigeons and not chimed for 70 years.
Elizabeth Campbell, regeneration manager at the not-for-profit Erewash Partnership Ltd, was responsible for managing the grant aid from English Heritage, Derbyshire Economic Partnership and Erewash Borough Council.
Having nominated Punch for the award, she said: “This building is part of Long Eaton’s heritage and I’m delighted Punch and everyone else involved have been rewarded for restoring one of the town’s great landmarks.”
On completion of the clock tower restoration the chime was officially switched on by the Mayor of Erewash.
Punch Taverns is one of the UK’s largest leased and tenanted pub companies with 7,800 outlets across its estate.
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