REPEATED flooding has forced a Stratford pub to postpone its relaunch.
Cox’s Yard was due to open as a taproom this summer but after being flooded for the second time in a matter of weeks its reopening date is looking uncertain.
Pub managers Wells & Co are pressing ahead with plans for the rebrand, but say the relaunch date will probably have to be revised after yet more flooding of the pub and surrounding premises. The pub had only just started drying out from flooding last month when it was hit by further problems last week.
The latest downpour caused a repeat of drainage issues within the local water network sending the pub ‘back to step one’. And, ahead of starting the refurbishment, Wells & Co want assurances from Stratford District Council that the water extraction issues affecting the area will be ‘fixed’.
A spokesperson said: “While the pub had just started drying out from the initial flood, a repeat of the initial issue with the drainage and subsequence issues with the water network in Stratford, the pub is back to step one.
“Unfortunately, this means that while the pub’s management team had been hopeful to reopen by summer 2024, the latest flooding could cause it to be shut for longer than previously planned.
“Our hope is to work with Stratford District Council to find a solution which allows us to reopen Cox’s Yard in some form for the summertime to welcome locals and tourists to this amazing location.”
Cox’s Yard, as well as its adjacent café and Tramway House Airbnb, have shut temporarily to ensure safety during the refurbishment.
The pub’s team also continues to work closely with the Attic Theatre which operates out of Cox’s Yard and has also been affected by this set back.
Cox’s Yard has for many years been a venue for entertainment, most famously as a music venue which proved very popular with the town’s residents until it closed in 2012. Historically, the site used to be a timber warehouse owned by James Cox who opened his business in 1839, when there was a building boom.
A spokesperson for SDC confirmed the tenant of Cox’s Yard had been in touch but they were unable to say any more at this time.
