A SOUTHAMPTON pub is set for a £200,000 refurbishment.

Punch Taverns have earmarked the Wellington Arms in Freemantle for the four-week face lift, which it is hoped will be finished by July.

Former landlord Bob Beech has retired and new tenants Martyn Godwin and Charlene Frost have already taken over.

The pub will remain a real ale venue, but with a new kitchen as part of the revamp there will also be a ‘traditional British’ menu on offer.

Mr Godwin has previously worked in the catering industry most recently for Frankie & Benny’s in Southampton, but also for Que Pasa, 5 Guys, Marsdon’s, Premier Inn and was in the army until the age of 20.

He said: “We will have new carpets upstairs in the three bedroom flat, as well as new furniture in the garden and a total revamp in the pub – but we will be keeping the same layout.

“I’ve always wanted to run a pub, and everything I’ve done up until now has been a learning experience.”

A Punch spokesperson added: “Following a period of closure whilst essential health and safety works took place, we are pleased to confirm the Wellington Arms is now open and trading.

“We are now working towards a new agreement with a new publican, where we plan to invest in the pub to enhance the look and feel but keep its distinct quirky character.”

As previously reported the Wellington Arms hit the headlines in 2007 when it was made the official consulate of Redonda, a Caribbean island measuring just a square mile in size.

Landlord Bob Beech also received a knighthood from the island’s official cardinal who was a regular at the pub.

Redonda was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. It remained virtually uninhabited except for visiting fishermen, until 1865, when Mathew Dowdy Shiell claimed it and declared it a kingdom for his first-born son, Mathew, who was crowned King Felipe I on his 15th birthday by Bishop Mitchinson of Antigua.