Pub entrepreneur Mark Robertson has brought a third old local back to life.
While licensed premises across the country continue to shut down, Mark, 50, of Linthwaite, is reversing the trend.
Property developer Mark is the man behind the revamp of the West Riding pub in Huddersfield town centre and the Waterloo in Wakefield Road, Waterloo.
Now he has invested £350,000 in buying and renovating the Waggon and Horses in New Hey Road, Outlane.
The pub, which was closed for three months before Mark bought it, has had an extensive makeover.
All the old Artex plasterwork has been swept away and the dark and dingy side rooms have been transformed into light and airy spaces.
There are three open fires with exposed brickwork, giving the pub a warm and homely feel.
Mark said there was still a future for the traditional pub if the investment was put in.
“The breweries might splash some paint around and change the furnishings and seating but that’s as far as it goes,” he said.
“People expect more than that and I make sure I do the job properly from the start.
“We got rid of all the Artex and re-plastered and re-wired and that means I won’t have to do anything major for 10 years.”
Mark started out in 2009 with the West Riding, near Huddersfield Police Station, before moving on to the Waterloo.
His secret is buying large pubs with added value features.
The Waterloo also has a cafe and four flats and the Waggon and Horses has a hair salon attached and large rooms upstairs which could be let for bed and breakfast.
Mark also keeps renovation costs down by doing much of the work himself and hiring in tradesmen.
“It can be a really stressful few months and very hard work but if I brought contractors in it could cost two or three times as much.”
Mark, in the motor trade since he was 18, knew nothing about pubs when he took on the West Riding.
He puts managers in or leases the premises and admits he has learned a lot.
Mark still sees a future for pubs and said: “People still want a good local and if pubs can survive now they will be well set for when people have more money to go out and spend in the next three years.”
The Waggon and Horses is now open and Mark, who has been in property for the last decade, is already looking at his next project, a wine bar in Linthwaite.
“I have learned along the way and I am a little bit wiser but I am happy with all my properties,” he said.
“I know that if a pub fails, the building can always be turned into something else.”
