G.Oakley and Sons Ltd completed a full rebuild of the historic Blue Ball in Sidmouth, East Devon at a cost of £1.8 million for Punch Taverns over a 34 week programme.
There has been an Inn on this site since 1385 and has been run by 5 generations since 1912. On March 18th 2006 the 14th Century public house was unfortunately engulfed in fire caused by a spark from the chimney. The fire was so severe we had to demolish and rebuild the whole building including 9 delightful en-suite bedrooms.
The property is grade I listed, so throughout the rebuild, techniques and traditional skills were applied to maintain the character and charm of the former public house.
Chet Greenslade of owners Punch Taverns said the firm had done its best to reproduce the former pub. He said ‘walking in there it is just the same, we can’t replicate all the family memorabilia, but I think they will be proud of what we have done.’
The development received high praise and awards for the construction of the grade I listed building.