Woolwich pub sees historic feature restored
A Woolwich town centre pub is seeing some original Victorian features return as part of restoration work.
The Ordnance Arms – otherwise known as The Old Gun Pit – now has its original corner door entrance reinstated for the first time in decades.
For a while it also went by the name O’Connors.
The corner doorway had been blocked for more than half a century.
Other work on the ground floor exterior should see tiles returned to the exterior alongside opening up previously blocked up windows.
The image below taken from a recent planning application shows its future appearance.
Upper floors are being turned into a hotel with a rooftop extension also recently completed with a new mansard roof.
On the Woolwich New Road side, a gap in the building line has been filled. It’s a case of if you didn’t know what it was like until recently you’d not notice the difference.
The ground floor pub space has recently gone on the market with an annual rent of £75,000.
Usage could be a pub or other commercial space. There’s no shortage of footfall given it sits between busy stations and on Beresford Square.
All in all this appears an excellent restoration job with sensitive extensions. Let’s hope something similar can happen with the threatened Anglesea Arms not too far away in Woolwich.
Good to see health & safety provisions in place (not).
Fair play to the owners, this looks both a really excellent restoration which celebrates the town’s heritage, as well as being pro-growth with a significant extension.
As you say, it’s beggars belief that the Anglesea Arms are trying to make some kind of case that the heritage of the town should be knocked down because they don’t know how to run a business.
The restoration of the building looks excellent. Nice to see some of the original features reinstated.
It is important to keep some of Woolwich heritage by restoring some of the older buildings rather than demolishing them.
We have been watching the progress
Of the restoration and it looks outstanding.
The mansard roof extension was, initially, the only visible part from street level but it was a clear indication of the quality that was to follow. We are excited to see the finished article and keeping our fingers crossed that a suitable tenant takes on the ground floor with a pub/restaurant that is befitting this wonderful building.