THE return of three birds to the roof of Banbury’s Three Pigeons pub has marked the end of a £30,000 project to restore the town’s only thatched property.
Following the Great Fire of Banbury in 1628, one third of buildings in the town centre were destroyed and the use of thatch was banned to prevent future disasters.
The Three Pigeons, in Southam Road, was the only thatched building to survive the blaze and has since remained the only building in the town to have a straw roof.
Last Friday a six-week project to restore the roof came to an end and saw three new pigeons placed at the top of the pub, which had been missing one of its three birds for several years.
Owner Paul Laird who bought the pub with his wife Tina last year, said: “We knew the thatch needed some attention as part of the renovation works we are undertaking. It was last re-thatched 15 years ago and during an inspection some underlying issues were found which meant we needed to get the whole roof done.
“It’s the last thatched building in Banbury and we have replaced it like-for-like with the same design. The only things that have changed are the three pigeons, which are slightly different, but we thought it would be a good opportunity to get up there and return them all to the roof.
“I’m over the moon with the outcome, it looks absolutely stunning and I have had a lot of positive comments from people about how great it looks – I’m really chuffed.”
The work was undertaken by Stuart Viggers of Stuart Viggers Master Thatchers, with help from employee Samuel Turner and apprentice Stevie Jones.
Mr Viggers said: “There were three of us on site and we completed the roof with combed wheatstraw. I’m over the moon with the final result – it ranks as one of our best ever jobs.”
The £30,000 thatch restoration is part of a £550,000 renovation project being undertaken by Mr Laird to transform the building, interior and garden into a traditional English, family-friendly pub ahead of its planned opening in September.
