Wilmslow pub to be rebranded

by Lisa Reeves

Wednesday 30^th December 2015

Wed 30^th Dec 2015

The owners of a carvery pub in Wilmslow have confirmed that it will be closing for six weeks in the new year and reopening under a new name following a refurbishment.

The Boddington Arms on Altrincham Road will close at the start of February and reopen in late March as a Harvester.

The pub was originally part of the Orchid estate which was acquired by Mitchells & Butler's in 2014, along with 172 other pubs across the UK.

The Harvester chain, which serves more than 30 million meals a year, was voted Best Family-Friendly Restaurant for the third year running in the 2015 Tommy's awards and the Nation's Favourite Restaurant Brand in the Eat Out Awards 2015.

Tags:: Harvester, The Boddington Arms

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Sally Hoare

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 2:12 pm

Not sure Harvester is any more suited to the area than the carvery! this would have been the ideal venue for the American Smokehouse idea that was so unsuited to the Unicorn site.

Bob Bracegirdle

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 2:29 pm

Ah, Boddington Arms. Used to take my late mother there in the 80s. This doesn't sound like much of a change or improvement!

Anne Greenhalgh

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 5:25 pm

Seriously..a Harvester? Would have thought some more along the lines of American Smokehouse as commented by Sally Hoare. Our works do was at the 'Boddies' last December 2014 & it was the same old same old! Please rethink this :(

Nick Jones

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 6:02 pm

This Pub has had more name changes than Liz Taylor... Should it therefore be The Boddington and Harvester...? The Dragon and Harvester and Boddington ? no matter whatever nomenclature is assigned to it... as the story alludes... It will always be The Boddington Arms... ( or variations thereof )

Peter Evans

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 8:54 pm

Oh joy, well at least it will be far enough away from the town centre not to impact on town life too much and it will still sell adequate-ish lager when we're out and passing on a dog walk...

Carole Burton

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 10:35 pm

More 'family' branded cheap food pubs. Let's have something different.... old fashioned Sunday lunch pub, somewhere other than The Plough and Flail which is the only place I hear talked about. The horse and jockey was good for a while last year then the owners left.... Just nowhere really good in wilmslow for good old pub meal with or without the children

Adam Bower

Wednesday 30^th December 2015 at 10:48 pm

The place should be demolished

Matt Jones

Thursday 31^st December 2015 at 7:36 am

Sigh.. I have lived round the corner from this place for years and have watched it go from bad to worse. The place is a dump and an eyesore and should be demolished

Julie Green

Thursday 31^st December 2015 at 12:09 pm

Should be aimed at walkers too with Lindow Common, The Carrs and Saltersley all nearby.

Ryan Dance

Thursday 31^st December 2015 at 2:33 pm

The investment should be welcomed. if you dont like the brand - don't visit!

Im sure the anti development mob would surface if it was demolished...perhaps for new housing? oh no.....the additional traffic would surely be a deal breaker!

good luck! dont let the Wilmslow anti change mob derail your good intentions.

John Clegg

Saturday 2^nd January 2016 at 1:46 pm

Anti-change, Ryan D?
Or really a questioning and restraining hand?
The town - and its environs - are littered with unused office space.
There are also housing developments which the council denied were going to happen - and then went ahead anyway.
Not all development is necessarily good; not al of us are NIMBYs.

Adam Bower

Tuesday 5^th January 2016 at 8:38 pm

The 'right' investment is welcomed- turning it into a Harvester is not the way forward. The pub is too big, completely wrong architecturally and void of atmosphere. It needs too much money spent on it to make it right - it would be cheaper to pull it down and start again.

Jon Williams

Tuesday 5^th January 2016 at 8:57 pm

The pub has to suit the needs of the Premier Inn and so the new Harvester will be just what is needed in Wilmslow

Jon Armstrong

Wednesday 6^th January 2016 at 12:39 pm

Absolutely, Jon. A pub aimed at country walkers or traditional Sunday lunches is hardly what is needed at a budget hotel aimed mostly at airport users. However much a Harvester offends the sensibilities of some, it is exactly appropriate to the hotel it is attached to.

Adam Bower

Wednesday 6^th January 2016 at 9:22 pm

The refurbishment of the pub should not hinge on a hotel whose occupancy has dwindled since two huge hotels of a similar brand, serving a similar market, have opened up nearer to the airport- that's poor business sense. It needs re-landscaping to make it suitable and safe for young families and the food needs to be fresh and affordable. A harvester pub does not offer fresh food. If done correctly it could acccomodate most people's needs. As it is, all that will happen is a new sign, more fried food and failure.

Oliver Romain

Sunday 10^th January 2016 at 1:20 pm

Not everyone's cup of tea but the Harvester is a national brand offering reasonably priced foos and with tge excellent parking it will be a popular destination for locals and hotel residents. It's too big for a boutique or gastro pub offering. It's a sensible or even inevitable outcome.