ONE of Bradford on Avon’s oldest licensed premises has re-opened following a week-long makeover that focuses on its long history.

When the public bar and restaurant at the Swan Hotel closed it was for the first time in more than ten years.

The Swan Hotel is the oldest operating public house in Bradford on Avon. Although the hotel dates from the mid-1700s, there has been a Swan Inn on the Church Street site since the 1500s.

The Swan’s owners delved into the archives to unearth old photographs and memorabilia from years gone by. They were supported by archive materials from the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, Ex Libris Books in The Shambles and Bradford on Avon Museum.

James Sullivan-Tailyour, spokesman for the Swan Hotel, said: “We have decorated the walls with old photographs, documents and other memorabilia.

“Some of our customers might recognise some of the photographs but there are quite a few that none has seen - including some from our customers’ private collections.”

“We also found accounts books from the 1950s and letters from the early 1960s in an attic of The Swan, which we have made some efforts to restore and some of which we will put on display.”

The renovation will also include a new look for the restaurant - over the last five years under its new ownership The Swan Hotel has created a reputation for its authentic, freshly-prepared Thai food.

The restaurant will be given a stronger Asian identity to highlight the popular food offering and, to complement this, the team of Thai chefs has increased to four.