A trip to a revamped pub will be like stepping back in time with the introduction of an arcade bar featuring classic favourites such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders.

The George, in High Street, Sittingbourne is being given a £50,000 makeover by owner North & South Leisure, which bought the pub in February 2018.

The group owns and operates pubs across Kent, Sussex and South London. It’s other pubs in the county are the King William IV in Pembury, near Tunbridge Wells, and The Windmill in Sevenoaks Weald, near Sevenoaks.

Speaking about The George, Richard Grady, director, said: “The covid crisis meant we had to shut the pub and we thought it would be the opportune time to do it up.”

As part of the revamp, the pub will have brand new men’s toilets.

“They were in quite a poor state so we’ve started again with the gents’ and we are refurbishing the ladies’, with painting and decorating, new toilet seats and doors,” Mr Grady said.

Other changes will include new lighting, flooring and decorating throughout, new tables, chairs and a wood burning stove.

He added: “We’ll also be offering something a little different with our investment, by introducing classic retro arcade machines like Pac-Man, Space Invaders and a traditional Pinball machine in our arcade area, whilst keeping a traditional feel to the rest of the pub.

“We believe Sittingbourne High Street deserves something new and different, to not only counter but also compliment all the retail park investment in the area.

“After all, the High Street has been around for hundreds of years and is likely to be around for hundreds of years yet. We want to make sure it’s an area that we can all appreciate and keep on using.”

The refurbishment works started last month and Mr Grady said he hoped the pub would reopen by late September, early October.

When asked if he was concerned to be undertaking such a job during the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Grady said: “We think it’s really good timing.

"Everyone is down in the dumps and the crisis has been difficult for everyone.”

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