A RADICAL transformation is in store for a Swindon pub rumoured to be haunted by as many as six ghosts.

The Ship Inn, which stands on the corner of Westcott Place and Park Lane in Kingshill, is being totally gutted and turned into what its new owners, Dave Young and partner Anna Sprawson, hope will become the town's top new music venue.

A quarter of a million pounds is being spent on the old Irish pub, which should see it able to hold up to 350 music fans.

It will also have a new name - The 12 Bar.

Dave, who owns and runs the Victoria Pub in Victoria Road, Old Town, has high hopes for the new pub.

"Swindon doesn't really have a music venue of the size that The 12 Bar will offer, and it means we will be able to attract bigger bands to the town, particularly those on the NME circuit.

"It's a great opportunity for Swindon and Swindon bands in particular. They might have the chance to support some of the big names we hope to bring in, and of course who knows where that might lead.

"For us we are getting rid of an old and tired Irish pub and replacing it with something new and exciting."

The Ship closed on July 6 when the flash flooding from the summer storms that week flooded the pub's cellars.

Since then the pair have been stripping the place ready for the builders to move in on August 16.

Dave said: "It's been a pleasure ripping the place apart inside but we have been finding a few clues to the building's past and the impression we get is that it might have once been an old courthouse."

Anna said: "The building is beautiful on the outside with its old brickwork. It really has character but the inside needs a lot of work.

"One of the things we have been hearing is that the pub is haunted by six ghosts. We haven't seen anything yet, but there are many stories, and we are trying to find out more about the history of the place."

Once finished, The 12 Bar will be equipped with state-of-the-art sound and PA systems.

A pub garden will be refurbished and the walls made higher. A small stage will be built allowing some live gigs to be played outside.

Mr Young is keen to get rid of any reputation the old place had, and he's quite proud of the name as well.

"The 12 Bar is a familiar name to musicians - it's one of the first things you learn on the guitar and I have looked it up on the net and the only other one with the same name is in a back street in London."

Earlier this year, the pair gave the Victoria pub a £70,000 facelift with a revamped stage, changing rooms and music system, and since the changes, customer numbers have gone up, as have the number of bands interested in playing there.

If all goes to plan, The 12 Bar will open on Friday, October 13.