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Pipers Arms to become the Pig on the Hill

11:00am Saturday 24th April 2010 in


A PROMINENT Swindon venue is to re-open for the first time in more than a year thanks to a dedicated local family.

The Pipers Arms, in Devizes Road, Old Town, closed in February last year after the previous owners decided to cut their loses following a legal disagreement.

But now a family firm, ABR Leisure Ltd, has acquired the popular venue and is working to reopen it as a free house called The Pig on the Hill.

Operations manager Daniel O’Connell, who has management experience in several local pubs, including The Savoy in Regent Street, said the venture would bring something new to Old Town.

“The thing that will set us apart is the fresh food from local suppliers, the quality drinks, and the reasonable prices,” he said.

“The building is in a big prominent location and I think that people in this area have been crying out for someone to do something with it to bring customers into Old Town.”

The family decided to call the pub the Pig on the Hill after the translation of the Anglo-Saxon word Swine Dun, from which the name Swindon is thought to derive.

“We toyed with a few different ideas but because this is such a landmark building in Old Town, we felt we needed to do something which referred to the history of the area,” said Mr O’Connell, 34, a former St Joseph’s School student.

Work to completely renovate the pub, which will include redecorating the interior and exterior, started on April 12 and is expected to end in late May or early June.

The new 80-seater venue will feature a new bar, two lounge seating areas, two high seating areas, two fixed seating areas, new toilets, and seven plasma screen televisions.

There will be a large beer garden, including a gazebo and smoking shelter, with seating for an additional 120 guests.

The pub will serve drinks and traditional food throughout the day, specialising in grilled dishes, such as steaks and sausages.

Mr O’Connell said he wanted it to be a ‘family pub, open to all’.

He said he was not concerned about opening in the economic crisis because he would focus on quality service and developing customer loyalty.

The family is currently seeking staff, including a manager, head chef and bar staff.

For more information, visit the pub’s Facebook page.

Comments(17)

Mr Blackwell says...
6:44pm Sat 24 Apr 10

Excellent news. This premises should always have been a top class pub in Old Town but has been let down by numerous operators.
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Really impressed with the concept of using local food produce. Hopefully the new owners will take this higher class and not try and compete with the cheap pubs.
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Will be looking forward to dropping in. Good luck to the new owners.

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wildchild says...
10:16am Sun 25 Apr 10

All very well saying For more information, visit the pub’s Facebook page..... Where is the pub;s facebook page?? A link might be useful??

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Casual Observer says...
10:31am Sun 25 Apr 10

Mr Blackwell wrote:
Excellent news. This premises should always have been a top class pub in Old Town but has been let down by numerous operators.
.
Really impressed with the concept of using local food produce. Hopefully the new owners will take this higher class and not try and compete with the cheap pubs.
.
Will be looking forward to dropping in. Good luck to the new owners.
Well said MB, I've lost count of how many changes of management there's been since it was The Fountain and officially making it a gay pub (again) was a disastrous move IMO.
 
Good luck to them, it's great to see more of the old pubs re-opening and I hope the Crossed Keys is also resurrected.

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Retired at last says...
10:54am Sun 25 Apr 10

Good news, especially as it's now going to be a family pub again - a move in the right direction.
Not too sure on the new name though, but if it's a good pub then that won't matter.

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Mr Blackwell says...
7:12pm Sun 25 Apr 10

I quite like the new name, it's memorable and at least fairly original. A slightly 'strange' name never did The Slug & Lettuce any harm.
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Hopefully The Pig On The Hill will get their renovation works done by the end of May, as summer in Old Town is always lucrative for pubs with decent beer gardens.
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Maybe the O’Connell's have already considered it, but they could really move things forward in Old Town by hooking up their flat screens to an HD source... it really makes a big difference when deciding which venues to watch sporting events in, and with the World Cup being broadcast in HD in full this year, could be a great marketing tool for them.

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her_in_doors2 says...
7:31pm Sun 25 Apr 10

Sounded great until the bit about seven plasma televisions..... Yet another pub inundated by men watching football, ignoring the brats as they run riot. Just another version of The Dockle. Think I will give it a miss. Shame really as I was looking forward for somewhere to go for a pleasant meal.

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terry mccann says...
8:51pm Sun 25 Apr 10

has the "theme" of the pub changed or is it still four to a barstool?

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itsamess says...
6:18am Mon 26 Apr 10

It is nice to see some pubs re-opening. Many of the regulations have in my view brought about the rise in the almost daily reports of anti-social behaviour. Dare i say that not so many years ago our locals were relatively peaceful where folk could go for a drink--banter--some snacks and pub games. All were welcome and there was no segregation between the smokers and non smokers. There has always been the cheap booze from cross channel trips and ciggies. Our supermarkets jumped on the bandwagon with cheap drink. Could it be the rise in anti-social behaviour which is drink related comes as a consequence of folk choosing to drink in the parks and open spaces as they are free to be with mates to smoke chatter and drink. With every regulation that divides society the problems increase and ties up our police who's main role now is to be revenue collectors instead of tackling the real crime.

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Captain Sensible says...
7:10am Mon 26 Apr 10

Well done to them, lets hope its a sucess, old town is pretty dead at the moment.

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Al Smith says...
10:36am Mon 26 Apr 10

Good luck to them. Last time I had a pint in there was when it was a Wychwood brewery pub (The Hobgoblin???).
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Not sure about the name though, sounds like a PubCo pub name - trying to be wild and wacky yet local.

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MissCLM says...
11:09am Mon 26 Apr 10

wildchild wrote:
All very well saying For more information, visit the pub’s Facebook page..... Where is the pub;s facebook page?? A link might be useful??
Search for The Pig on the Hill or follow this link
http://www.facebook.
com/home.php?#!/page
s/The-Pig-on-the-Hil
l/102292359811484?re
f=ts

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Veggie says...
2:17pm Mon 26 Apr 10

Swindon is short for Swine don which means Pig on a hill. Most locals would know this.

Looking forward to trying out the place! make sure there are some decent veggie options on the menu please! ha ha!

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mickeymouse says...
4:47pm Mon 26 Apr 10

what an utterly charming name! What's wrong with THE FOUNTAIN?

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Bobfm says...
5:40pm Mon 26 Apr 10

Veggie in Pig on the Hill.:):):)

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I Too says...
8:58pm Mon 26 Apr 10

Swine-Don actually translates to just Pig-Hill, not Pig on the Hill.
Still good to see some positive effort for Old Town though.
I think "Pig on The Hill" is an excellent name, reflecting the early days, when Old Town was a cattle market, and, pretty much, Swindon in its entirity.

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Casual Observer says...
8:06am Tue 27 Apr 10

mickeymouse wrote:
what an utterly charming name! What's wrong with THE FOUNTAIN?
Totally agree - silly, quirky names do nothing for pubs.
 
Even the old fountain picture sign was better than anything put up since.

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PARKSOUTH PETE says...
4:54pm Thu 29 Apr 10

Well, well, well, the Pipers re-opens at last. Lets hope the customers take a step up. The last time i was in there, somebody let off a stinkbomb - one lad (i think the locals called him Rab C Nesbitt), was sick all down his jumper as a result. All in all, it was a horrible experience - Pig on the Hill sounds much nicer, good luck.

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