Tadley pub becomes hotel and restaurant

Premises owned by daughter of one of town's most famous people is transformed

A TADLEY pub has been transformed into an hotel and restaurant.

The Broomsquire Hotel and Restaurant, Silchester Road, opened for business on December 2 following an official opening the previous evening.

Among those in attendance were the mayor and mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane, David and Amanda Leeks, the chairwoman of Tadley Town Council, Jo Slimin, the president of Tadley and District Chamber of Trade, Barbara Payne, and the vice-president Steve Pryor, who carried out the plastering for the refurbishment.

The owner, Amanda Nash Taylor, said that she had decided to turn the pub into a hotel and restaurant after spotting a gap in the local market. She added that locals could still enjoy a quiet drink at the bar of the hotel, which has seven en suite bedrooms.

Mrs Nash Taylor is the daughter of one of the town's most famous residents, the late Arthur Nash, who was a besom (broom) maker by royal appointment.

The contemporary decor in the hotel also pays homage to Mrs Nash Taylor's father.

Mrs Nash Taylor said: “There's a besom on a shelf in the restaurant and a photograph of my dad making his brooms, along with photographs of ‘old Tadley' going back 100 years.”

The menu of chef Anthony McKay, whose culinary pedigree includes an apprenticeship at the Savoy Hotel in London and stints at various Covent Garden establishments, is “a considerable step up from average pub grub” she added.

The venture has provided local employment opportunities for 10 staff, mostly from Tadley, including Mrs Taylor Nash's 15- year-old niece, Jennifer Nash, and former pupils of the Hurst Community College, Baughurst.