A PUB which has been shut since the end of 2019 is all set to open again – at least as soon the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

The Prince of Wales in Royal Wootton Bassett is a familiar sight on the Coped Hall roundabout and new boss Ashley Windle says it has a bright future.

Ashley and his partner Samantha Berry took over the pub in January and have decided to rename it The Royal Wootton Bassett.

He said: “We’ve done the refurbishment on the inside and we had planned to open up on the Easter weekend. But with everything going on and the world coming to a stop, we had to put that on hold.

“We feel we can really offer something positive to this town.

"We changed the name because it’s at the entrance to the town so it will be a nice feature going in and out.”

Ashley and Sandra had planned welcome locals to an open day – something that will happen as soon as the government rules allow.

“We’re looking to open as soon as we can, but that won’t be until things go back to normal,” Ashley said.

This isn’t the first time the couple have worked together running a pub.

Ashley's family have run the Three Crowns in Brinkworth for the last 25 years and he was also in charge at The Weighbridge Brewhouse in Penzance Drive, Swindon, until 2016.

Ashley told the Adver: “I’ve been in the industry all my life and we’ve been successful so far.

“We’ve invested a lot of money and hard work to make sure it’s a place the town will be proud of.

“I just love working in pubs because I love the interaction with people from all walks of life. People love to go to the pub to relax and wind down and we’re lucky enough to have made it our career.”

Although The Royal Wootton Bassett may have kept its traditional exterior, inside the menu will have tastes from countries from all over the world.

Ashley said: “It’s going to be a steak and tapas-style restaurant. We’re going to have elements from all over the world and some of my favourite dishes I’ve had from places I’ve been.

That means there will be Asian, Eastern European, Indian and American dishes on the menu.

The couple say they will be sourcing the food and products locally to put investment back into the local economy.

But Ashley said: “Now that lockdown has been extended for another three weeks we will have to wait and see what happens and we won’t announce an opening date yet.”