Midlands & East Anglia

Combining the traditional and contemporary: Costessey’s new public house

Marston's public houseDue for completion early next year, Barnes Construction Limited is in the process of delivering a new public house for client Marston’s Inns and Taverns, on John Hyrne Way in Costessey  Norwich.

The new building, which will be named The Copperbeech, includes a restaurant with a carvery and bar area, along with kitchens and staff accommodation.

The Copperbeech is situated amongst other recent commercial developments, comprising shops and houses. Though it is being constructed using convenient modern methods, it is built in the image of a traditional family pub, and is designed by JWA Architects Ltd.

The exterior facing of the two storey building consists mainly of brickwork, with some rendering and wooden cladding. Extensive landscaping is also involved on the 5500 square metre site, which will include an eighty-four space car park, a large garden and a children’s play area which will be in keeping with the family friendly atmosphere of the pub. Given the likelihood that more land around the plot will be developed, the garden of the pub is expected to become an attractive green space in an urban district.

Other external works include creating new road access and footpaths onto the site.

JWA Architects are highly experienced in building restaurants and hotels and have designed new premises for major clients such as McDonald’s. Copperbeech is typical of their designs in that it is timber-framed and constructed in a modular system. Damien of JWA explained the popularity of their modular design:

“We mainly work on hotels and restaurants like this one, many of which are timber-framed modular constructions. Contractors like this method because it’s quick to put together and it’s cost-effective as well.”

This particular £1.5 million new build for Marston’s is part of a roll-out of several new public houses across the country, which have also been designed by JWA Architects Ltd. Marston’s PLC are the largest builder of new public houses across the UK, and they plan to build sixty new pubs in the next three years. The Copperbeech stands out for being built on a larger model – known as the ‘magna’ – than the standard Marston’s inn.

There are currently five Marston’s Inns designed by JWA Architects under construction nationwide. Marston’s PLC is an independent brewing and pub retail business which operates five breweries and over two thousand tenanted, leased and managed pubs across England and Wales. Many Marston’s pubs occupy old and listed buildings, and the company is conscious of the role that public houses play in the culture and history of Britain. As such, the traditional design of The Copperbeech, though it stands out from the other modern buildings in the area, sits well within the company’s image.

The Costessey parish of Norwich has been expanding in recent years, and The Copperbeech is just one element of the redevelopment which has included the building of many new housing areas and commercial projects. In 2010 the local community also benefited from the opening of a new community centre, as well as new medical facilities.

The Norfolk Showground borders on Costessey and is home to a vast array of events throughout the year – including The Royal Norfolk Show, which is the largest two-day agrictultural show in the country. Events such as these put Costessey firmly on the map, providing great entertainment for locals and bringing in business for the hotels and retailers in the area.

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Roma Publications