True to its roots
The historic Anchor on London's Bankside has been brought bang up to date while preserving its much-loved traditional atmosphere. Simon Creasey reports
In 1666 the diarist Samuel Pepys stood on the South Bank of the Thames and witnessed the Great Fire of London. Describing in his famous diaries how events unfolded Pepys wrote that he sought refuge from the heat in "a
little alehouse on Bankside".
The "little alehouse" lives on today in the form of the Anchor pub, which was itself rebuilt in 1676 after a fire devastated the area. Over the last couple of centuries the Anchor has seen the capital evolve into a thriving metropolis and, since Pepys' own visit, numerous acclaimed writers have visited the Anchor.
Despite its "olde world" charm the Anchor, which was last refurbished in 1999, was in need of modernisation — the fact that long-standing licensee Ian Robinson was due to retire this year further strengthened the argument that the time was right for change.
The challenge
In addition to needing a general spruce up, the Anchor had a number of redundant areas that were being underused. Another problem — but this time of a more positive nature - was the proximity of Shakespeare's Globe theatre. The pub would often be busy with regular punters and tourists, but bar and food turnaround times were coming under increasing pressure due to the sheer weight of numbers.
However, Dan Robinson, operations director at the Spirit Group, the pub's owner, knew that any refurb would not be easy as the building was listed, meaning that permissions would take longer to push through. Plus regulars were incredibly attached to its heritage so it was important that any work took these feelings into consideration.
As a result, the pubco commissioned Steve Cane and Clive Wiltshire of Harlow-based Pembrook Design to draw up plans for a £1.6m refurb earlier this year, with work starting on site eight weeks ago and taking seven weeks to complete.
Fish and chip shop
While substantial improvements have taken place outside the pub, the bulk of the investment went towards radically revamping the interior with a traditional fish and chip shop.
"With such a high-volume site, speed of service is really important and fish and chips are really quick to cook," says Robinson.
Spirit installed a custom-built Florigo five-hand frying range, at a cost of £40,000, which will offer customers a wide range of battered fish in addition to a healthier option of a grilled daily special.
"We knew that 24% of our total food sales in London come from fish and chips so we thought that it would be a great unique selling point for the pub to have its own fish and chip shop," explains Robinson.
The shop, which is fitted out to a traditional design, will be complemented by a typical pub menu in the main area, offering favourites such as pie and mash and a Sunday roast.
Fish and chip shop: £155,000
Coffee and tea room
Another important new addition to the Anchor is a takeaway coffee shop and separate tea room — the former aims to capitalise on early morning passing trade, while the latter allows tourists to sample the delights of a traditional tea room.
The new areas have been built in parts of the pub that were previously disused and both will open at 7am, with the coffee shop selling take-away bacon rolls and pastries. In honour of one of the pub's former regulars the tea room, which is open all day, has been christened "Dr Johnson's Tea Room".
"It will serve a full English afternoon tea experience," says Robinson, "with tea, sandwiches and scones costing £14.95 for two people and £7.95 for one."
Coffee shop and tea room: £80,000
External areas
A 200-cover patio on the side of the Thames has been created, which can accommodate marquees for corporate events. "It used to be a traditional patio area with umbrellas, but we've turned it into a Continental style patio area with jumbrellas and heaters," explains Robinson.
There is also a terrace bar and a 120-capacity roof garden complete with barbecue. New signage has also been added to replace the tired existing "gin palace" signage.
External areas: £190,000
Internal additions
An existing meeting room, which can hold up to 15 people, has been spruced up thanks to the inclusion a new coffee-machine facility and plasma screens.
As speed of service is so imperative, the firm has also installed a new pump system, which has reduced the average time it takes to pull a pint from 25 seconds down to 14.
"It means that we can deliver consistently cold products without the need for secondary cooling before the bar and without the loss of any glass space," says Robinson.
The bar layout has also been designed in stations making it easier for staff to serve customers quicker, and to enhance the overall atmosphere £90,000 has been spent on a new air-conditioning system, while £65,000 has gone on extra toilets.
Internal additions: £375,000
Phase two
With the first phase of the refurb complete, the pubco intends to be on site in two weeks' time with phase two, where an extension added to the rear of the site will house a new kitchen and cellar. Due to the area's historic links, an archaeological dig took place on the intended extension area, but it failed to unearth anything so Spirit has now got permission to go ahead with its plans.
Phase two: £400,000
To complete the transition, the Anchor also has a new licensee, Stephen Giudici, who has been with the company for 15 years and previously ran the Shakespeare at Victoria. Giudici started in his new post as part of the closedown so that former licensee Ian Robinson could pass on his knowledge. With Giudici taking over the reins the results have been impressive and Spirit's Robinson says that the changes have gone down well with regulars.
"The pub needed investment and we felt that it was a good opportunity to create something unique," says Robinson. "But we kept the regulars in mind and I believe that we have improved on its traditional feel."
A number of events are planned over the next few weeks with local businesses and tour operators to show them the changes, and Robinson is confident that the feedback will be positive.
The pubco has seemingly managed to pull off the impossible — radically overhauling the Anchor while staying faithful to the establishment's historical roots.
Balance sheet
Fish and chip shop: £155,000
Coffee shop and tea room: £80,000
External areas: £190,000
Internal additions: £375,000
Training, launch costs, marketing fees and sundries: £400,000
Phase two: £400,000
Total: £1.6m
