Stunning 15th Century pub refurbishment
Case Study
The George & Dragon a historic pub, in Beaumaris, a coastal town in Anglesey, North Wales, is owned by the family-run Robinsons Brewery.
As a Grade II* listed building, when it came to providing a safe means of escape from the first floor tenants accommodation of the fifteenth-century pub, there were bound to be challenges.
Phillip Ingham of Robinsons Brewery, who oversaw the renovations, said: “Problems arose when we carried out a fire risk assessment, the assessors had identified that a safe means of escape was required from the tenants accommodation above the pub. The premise is landlocked on three sides, the stair from the accommodation is situated at the rear of the premise and all the doors lead onto the main road at the front of the building.”
Phillip and the brewery team considered numerous options to tackle the fire safety issue, including putting in a new, strategically placed flight of stairs to resolve the problem, but this just wasn’t feasible as they needed to make as little impact as possible on the building, which dates back to 1410 in places.
“The risk assessors recommended a certain type of fire suppression system,” said Phillip. “But when I did my research it was clear that this wouldn’t be right for the George and Dragon, it was too intrusive, so I went online to find another solution. That is when Blue Light’s Danny Smith and the Automist® system came to the rescue.” Phillip then met with Danny, technical adviser at Blue Light on site at the pub to do a full assessment.
Phillip said: “After doing the assessment Danny told us that they could fit the Automist® product for us. The system was perfect, everything is concealed apart from the five sprinkler heads which are so discreet they just blend in with the decor.”
Working with Blue Light was easy for Phillip, they took care of all of his concerns, he said: “Working with Blue Light was great, they were very good and very helpful, they looked at the problems, listened to what I had to say and to came up with the right solution for the building. The installation went as smoothly as possible, the main contractor fitted the electrical and water supplies following the pre-installation guide provided by Danny, and the team at Blue Light spent only one day on site.”
Gary Chadwick, the publican at the George and Dragon, is happy with Blue Light’s work too, it has allowed him to continue to grow the business. He said: “The Automist® system gives me peace of mind knowing that both I and the timber frame building has been protected. It fits in very well, you don’t see it as a fire suppression system, it blends in with the aesthetic and you don’t even realise it’s there. Phillip added: “Anyone who has a problem with their fire safety really needs to consider Blue Light so that they can work out a solution.”
