REVAMPED BRIGG PUB COMING ALONG, GIVING FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Brigg Blog took these pub progress report pictures on Saturday in the town centre.

They show work under way on revamping the White Horse for new owners J D Wetherspoon.

The remodelled hostelry is due to reopen in mid-January, offering food, drink and   new jobs.

The impending arrival of a Wetherspoon outlet in Brigg is a major talking point in the town at present – and not just on licensed premises.

Those who have visited other JD outlets across the length and breadth of Britain, including those in Scunthorpe and Grimsby, know that they offer good  grub at very reasonable prices and a wide range of drinks, including an array of real ales.

Clearly, Brigg’s new White Horse, if we can call it that, will be smaller than a good many Wetherspoon outlets, such as the Yarborough in Grimsby town centre, near the port's railway station.

There will be a huge rush to visit Wetherspoon’s when the Horse opens in mid-January – despite the New Year being a very slack time of year in the licenced trade.

Brigg Blog’s own view is that the new venue will attract many people to town who might not otherwise have paid us a visit, and not all of them real ale devotees, by any means.

Some of the “newcomers” will then wander round town to try other Brigg hostelries. Hopefully, this will be a decent proportion of visitors.

Many of us who frequent Brigg licensed premises do not like things too busy. The old phrase “just popping out for a quiet drink” still applies.

This means that when Wetherspoon’s becomes packed, some locals will have a pint or two and nip out to other hostelries for an hour or two, perhaps before returning to the White Horse later in the evening.

What J D Wetherspoon’s pub grub menu at the White Horse will mean for existing eateries in Brigg remains to be seen.