A 17th-Century pub in Welwyn is due to receive a half a million-pound refurbishment at the start of next year.

The Grade II listed Rose & Crown on Church Street is set to have a £550,000 refurbishment from Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars and Pete Mann and Mike Fisher.

The investment aims to transform the pub into a quality traditional local, bringing an end to residents’ concerns for its future after years of temporary management.

A derelict listed barn in the garden will also be renovated to provide extra space and a stunning venue for private functions ranging from weddings and christenings to business meetings.

Work starts on January 4 following nine months of delays due to COVID-19, with the Rose & Crown expecting to open in late April, creating 20 new jobs.

Christine Baker and Jeremy Chichester-Miles will take the helm as the licensees.

The revamp will upgrade the building throughout whilst retaining and restoring original features such as flagstone floors, timber beams and an Inglenook fireplace and add a kitchen so that food can be introduced.

When it opens the pub will have a sports bar with two screens showing sports, plus a lounge bar with open fires, sofas and tables for dining.

Christine and Jeremy will offer a menu of freshly prepared home-cooked dishes focusing on traditional pub food like burgers, pies and fish & chips.

The project will add a spacious terrace for alfresco eating and drinking as well as a separate family garden.

Pete and Mike, who operate The Engineer at Harpenden and The Beehive in St Albans, had been looking for another pub in Hertfordshire when they saw The Rose & Crown was available.

Pete said: “Despite its sorry state, we fell in love with The Rose & Crown as soon as we walked in. It’s a beautiful old pub with a really special feel about it.

"We want to bring it back to life and turn it into a hub of the community where residents of all ages can get together.

"We’ve shared the plans with the village, and their response has been overwhelming: we can’t thank them enough for their support.

"COVID permitting, we’d love to have a party when we reopen to celebrate the pub’s new start and the end of the pandemic.”