The newly refurbished pub where the people 'make it special'

There are other pubs, however, that take the decision to make a change, freshen up and come back more vibrant, colourful and modern.

That is the case with the British Oak in Kingswinford, which has recently reopened to the public after a £240,000 refurbishment by owners Marstons, giving the pub near King George VI Park and the Pensnett Trading Estate a new lease of life.

The pub has always had a ‘traditional’ feel and has a large beer garden, which allows guests to drink and dine both inside and alfresco. The current building was built on this site around 1980 after originally being based further up the road.

Inside, it is a pub full of colour, with lots of flowery wallpaper and colourful chairs, as well as plenty of pictures and paintings adorning the walls, and the seating is a mixture of leather padded seating and comfortable chairs around a host of tables.

In the bar area, which is now divided from the dining area by a newly installed wall, there is a long bar full of handpulls drinks and a wide selection of spirits and plenty of TVs for people wanting to watch TNT or Sky Sports, plus a bigger game area with a pool table and dart board.

Manager Lisa Mayall has been at the pub since July last year, and says locals had told her it was a popular pub with a rocky history.

She says: "Historically, it's always been a really good local pub which has had a bit of a chequered past and was affected by Covid, like everything was, but we have a very loyal community.

"Sunday's for us have always been one of our key days and with the introduction of sport in the pub, I think we'll get just as many people coming in now."

Ms Mayall says she had been drawn to working at the British Oak as she liked the feeling of community that the pub engendered.

"Historically, it's always been historical pubs that I operated and I've always liked the sense of community with pubs that, for example, on Wednesday, Sandra is going to be coming in at 12pm to have a chat.

"It can also be who will be coming in at 6pm and you can almost set your watch by some people, so it's nice to try and create a pub that helps everyone who comes in want to come back and become a regular.

"It's what I always say when I'm interviewing new team members is that the customers will ask so many questions about you and that's not them being nosy, but because they care about you as a person and an individual."

As a Marstons pub, the main ales on offer are from the Marstons range, including Pedigree and Hobgoblin, while lagers such as Carling and Cruzcampo are regular favourites and Banks's Mild is a regular feature as well.

The pub also excels itself on the food menu, with a full pub menu which features hot dogs, vegetable Thai-style curry, burgers, steaks and pies, plus a Sunday roast available with beef, turkey and as a vegetarian dish, having changed from a carvery.

Since reopening at the start of the month, the pub has enjoyed a roaring trade, particularly with the older generation, and is putting on a new schedule of weekly events, including a pub quiz, bingo and musical tribute acts.

Ms Mayall said the pub was special because of the people as, without them, it was just an empty place.

She adds: "Pubs are just walls and it's the people that make it special, from the bingo nights we have on Tuesdays, with a community of ladies coming in, to our poker nights and other events.

"Pub's are just bricks and mortar, so it's the people inside who really make it a place to be."