Hawick pub almost restored to its former glory

One of Hawick’s best-loved pubs is almost back to its former glory after a decade in the licensing wilderness.
Steve Anderson at the Queen's Head in Hawick High Street.Steve Anderson at the Queen's Head in Hawick High Street.
Steve Anderson at the Queen's Head in Hawick High Street.

The Queen’s Head is one of four High Street properties being renovated as part of a £1.3m initiative announced by Historic Environment Scotland early last year.

Despite being closed for several years, the traditional pub retains a warm place in the hearts of townsfolk.

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Most of the internal work needed to reopen it is done but external work overseen by the council still remains to be completed.

That leaves bar manager Steve Anderson, who has carried out much of the work himself, playing something of a waiting game.

Steve, who formerly ran 13 Brew in the town’s Teviot Crescent, said: “Upstairs, which is the function room and cocktail bar, is pretty much finished now. Everything has been stripped off the walls with a new floor, new walls, new cladding, new bar and I’ve just got the downstairs bar to paper and some tiling to do, and that will be about it. We’ve also installed a new heating system to ensure the place is nice and warm.

“If it was just the interior that had to be finished I would say that we could open in four weeks, tops. But it’s going to take the work the council need to complete on the exterior a maximum of 16 weeks to finish.

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“However, if I find out that the exterior work can’t be done soon we might have to forget about it just now and just get it open. We’d probably have to fix the gutters ourselves and make things safe on the exterior.

“We’re in a better situation than a lot of pubs, some of which have not reopened because it hasn’t been worth their while. It hasn’t impacted on us not being open because we weren’t open beforehand anyway.

“Before the lockdown the work on the outside of the building was due to start in February and we had hoped to be open before the Common Riding but everything got delayed and delayed. But whenever we can open we’ll be ready to go.”

Other properties in line for a spruce up from the regeneration project are the former Liberal Club at 80 High Street, the now-closed KT Crafts at number 24 and the building which is home to the Beauty Lounge at number 26.

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Steve added: “Things have been delayed because of covid and we are still waiting to hear from the council regards when the work needed on the outside of the building can get done.

“Ideally we want the whole place done before we open, so that it’s looking good but we don’t want to open when there’s scaffolding everywhere. The sandstone needs repaired and the roof needs repaired.

“People have also left the council who we were dealing with, which hasn’t helped the situation either. Ideally we want the whole place done and ready but we will have to wait for a decision from the council first. I’m hoping to have a clearer picture within the next four weeks.”