Family brewer Hall & Woodhouse (H&W) says it’s invested more than £2.5 million into its Dorset pub estate during 2024.

Funds were allocated to refurbish 10 pubs in the county over the past 12 months, including interior and exterior renovations, new accommodation and landscaping.

The company’s brewery in Blandford also received a £150,000 boost to help launch the new Outland Stout – with the majority put towards the keg line.

Almost all of H&W’s managed pubs and over half of its tenanted estate now serve the drink.

Mark James, property director, said: “It’s our company’s purpose to make people’s day and enrich our communities, so it’s of the upmost importance that we continually reinvest into our beautiful pub estate.

St. Peter’s Finger in Lytchett Minster

“We want our pubs to feel like home for our guests, and they need to remain fit for purpose to deliver the warm hospitality that we pride ourselves on for many generations to come.”

H&W was granted planning permission to transform The Marquis of Granby in Weymouth earlier this year, making a £340,000 investment to update the exterior and add a new entrance – ready to reopen tomorrow (Thursday).

The Lulworth Cove Inn benefitted from £250,000 of external refurbishments and new guest accommodation, while The Beach House in Milford-on-Sea received £125,000 refurbishment works on its own accommodation.

H&W also invested £300,000 this year into refurbishing 10 bedrooms at The Royal Lion Hotel in Lyme Regis, which it purchased in 2022.

Other pubs that have undergone refurbishment this year include St. Peter’s Finger in Lytchett Minster, The Amberwood in Christchurch, The Rising Sun in Wimborne and The King’s Arms in Shaftesbury.

And looking to the new year, The Smuggler’s Inn at Osmington in Weymouth will receive four additional guest bedrooms in January as part of a £500,000 package of works.

• hall-woodhouse.co.uk