Refurbishment of a beautiful 17th century Oxfordshire pub to safeguard its continued use
Client
Private
Location
Ramsden, Oxfordshire
Contract Period
December 2019 – April 2020
The beautiful 17th century Royal Oak pub sits in the heart of Ramsden, a pretty village set amongst the rolling hills of Oxfordshire. In 2019, having run the Royal Oak for over 30 years, its owner decided to retire. Rather than see it close its doors permanently, two locals bought this much-loved community asset and set about upgrading it to ensure that it could both continue to serve its community whilst also broadening its appeal to local residents and their visitors.
Mackenzie Wheeler have worked in collaboration with Nicola Harding Interiors to breathe new life into the pub whilst retaining the original character of the pub as a sequence of small-scaled, intimate spaces.
A new bright and welcoming, oak-framed ‘barn’ extension provides additional amenity and an alternative to the existing dark dining room. Featuring extensive glazing, lots of natural light and richly textured materials, the new building offers views through to the original building to create a dialogue between old and new.
It is often said that a pub is the beating heart of a community and the Royal Oak in Ramsden is an embodiment of this sentiment
The bar has been sensitively redesigned to better connect the historic front-of-house areas with the new dining facilities to the rear, and create better operational efficiency whilst respecting the existing, listed building fabric.
An hour’s drive from London, the pub’s refurbishment includes new guest accommodation to offer a perfect weekend break for visitors to the Cotswolds. The upper floors of the pub have been reconfigured to create four bespoke guest rooms, with an outbuilding to the rear of the pub adapted to offer an additional, fully-accessible family suite with a separate children’s room.
The refurbishment of the Royal Oak preserves its heritage as a civic and cultural asset, whilst broadening its appeal to ensure its long term viability.
