Steve Ashcroft, 64, semi-retired Company Director involved in IT Web SEO, has transformed an old garage in his garden into a pub where he can enjoy a cold beer during the lockdown
The “Airedale & Otter” pub is located in Lancashire, 200 miles from London, and Steve first started to build it on the 2ndof January 2020. The name of the pub is after Steve’s dog. Airedale is a breed of terrier created and known for its capability of catching otters in rivers.
Steve is a huge fan of this breed and his current dog is the third Airedale dog he owned. “I have a Facebook group with 4,000 people all over the world with the same passion for Airedales,” he said explaining the origin of the pub.
He was previously living in a house next to a canal, where he had a wooden cabin, which was converted to a small pub. “I thought I wanted to re-create it after moving, so that’s how Airedale & Otter was born,” he added.
His partner Jules and Steve set a budget of £10,000 for the creation of the pub. So far, they’ve spent £8,600, but the interior of the pub is ready, and the expenses include the big patio they built outside.
“The most expensive part of the building was the two French doors at the front, which I paid £1,400,” he explained.
The pub was transformed from a messy looking garage during those first few months of the year. Steve bought all the supplies he needed from a local builder merchant, or online, and he has done all the electrics and plumbing himself.
A typical day of working for the construction of the pub would have been laying in bed planning the work ahead in the morning, working on it between 9 am and 3 pm, finishing the day sipping a Dutch or Italian beer – Steve’s favourites.
He also created the bar from a snooker table he had from his previous house and was never able to sell. The pub also features entertainment such as a dartboard, Alexa and Sonus, two televisions, and design pieces like chairs and carpets to make the pub more comfortable.
“After 4 months of hard working the pub is now almost ready, I just need to buy a door for the toilet, and install a basin,” Steve said proudly.
Steve has started posting on a daily basis on his Facebook group since the first day of construction to monitor the evolution of his work. Valerie Hecht has commented, “very impressive! It's been so fun to see the progress.”
“Airedale & Otter” opens every day a 3 o’clock, and Steve livestreams on his Facebook every now and then, with an average following of 200 people all over the world. “Can’t wait to visit on one of my trips to the UK,” commented Michele Greenwell under the 5th of April livestream.
Once lockdown is over he is planning to allow his friends from the Facebook group to visit the pub in person. “I already had people from America, Australia, and Japan visiting, and there are more people messaging me on Facebook about coming and see it!”
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