After 10 years of local fundraising efforts, the historic Highwayman pub will make its triumphant return this November. The Yateley institution closed in 2015 supposedly due to noise complaints, although frequent robbery by masked youths in purely aesthetic tricorn hats and rumours that staff were not allowed to sit down as part of their ‘Stand and Deliver’ USP certainly didn’t help. A distinctly unsuspicious arson fire followed, leaving nothing but ash and insurance investigations in its wake.
Plans to rebuild the pub on the same plot of land were initially delayed after residents complained about their own houses’ resulting destruction. Luckily, English Heritage intervened, noting The Highwayman’s historic significance and calling for its preservation, allowing construction of the state-of-the-art free house new build to go ahead.
The new managers have already announced their first event, Guy Fawkes Night. They’ll serve gunpowder shots and have a large bonfire in the pub garden. Safety concerns have already been raised by the Yateley Fire Brigade and locals alike, as some fear history might tragically repeat itself.
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