Pictures and video: Out of the ashes comes new Tayleur Arms pub

Out of the ashes of disaster, the Tayleur Arms is preparing for a grand reopening next month.

The pub was gutted by fire almost 18 months ago and now Richard and Eve Harvey are preparing for its grand reopening in October – and are already taking bookings for the festive season.

Work began to rebuild the Tayleur Arms, in Longdon upon Tern, near Telford, five months ago, but now the bulk of the work is already complete with just the finishing touches to be added before the reopening on October 19.

In recent days the new roof was placed on top of the building, which already has the beginnings of the bar, carvery, toilets and the kitchen in place.

Mrs Harvey said: "We are looking forward to the reopening, but we don't want it to be just one day and then we're open, we're going to have a whole week of events.

"We've already got a few things arranged like a ukulele band on October 23, we're trying to arrange for a few jazz bands and I've got a few other things in mind but we've just got to set the dates.

"Our phone has been ringing off the hook with people making bookings, from 9 o'clock every day. I started just making bookings from the end of November until Christmas Eve and afterwards but I've had to start taking them from October 19. We can't actually take them for Christmas day because we need to know the layout.

"The community is so excited for us to reopen."

The pub, parts of which were 300 years old, suffered damage estimated at £1.2 million when fire tore through the premises in March last year.

Mrs Harvey said: "The first few months were tough, watching the building go down and the lack of certainty, not knowing whether it was going to be built again, not knowing whether we were going to stay.

"But now it is being rebuilt it is really exciting.

"We've made a lot of friends in the area, we love the village, we love the old Tayleur, hopefully we will love the new Tayleur just as much.

"It is a lot smaller, it is not the old Tayleur but it will still have the same family-friendly feel about it.

"The fires are back, we've got one open fire and one log burner."

The couple have even redesigned areas of the pub to combat previous problems, adding a new door to the kitchen and flowing the design through three different areas.

Mr Harvey, who ran the pub for six years before the fire, said: "Before, the back part of the pub never felt connected to the rest, what we're doing now is creating three areas, one with a wooden floor, one tiled area and one carpeted area.

"The back bit will have a country furniture theme, where people can just relax and have a coffee by the fire then there will be the seated area which might be where you sit to have bar snacks then the main carpeted area will be like a smoking lounge, without the smoking, with lots of oak, rosewood where people can enjoy an evening meal."

More than 1,600 people had signed up to a Facebook campaign calling for the pub to be rebuilt by owners Enterprise Inns.

Mr and Mrs Harvey escaped the fire in their night clothes, along with their 14-year-old son Elliot and some guests who were staying the night.

Richard and Eve Harvey were sleeping when the huge fire started in the laundry room of the Tayleur Arms in Longdon upon Tern, near Wellington.

Their electricity cut off, disabling the fire alarms. The faint sound of beeping as the tills re-booted when the back-up system kicked in woke up Mrs Harvey, who was able to raise the alarm just in time.

Mrs Harvey, 48, her husband Richard, 44, their son Elliott, 16, and seven guests who were staying the night and their dog managed to escape unharmed. Their other son 19-year-old Jacob was away at college so escaped the event.

About 50 firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control – but within an hour the building was completely gutted.

The family have been living in a caravan on the grounds of the old pub since the incident.

Mrs Harvey said: "It has been a long 18 months.

"It's so exciting, to have a proper shower and a proper bath. Watching the building come together, every day there is something new.

"We've decided to donate the caravan to the local flying club because the community did so much for us after the fire we wanted to give something back."

The renovation has been thanks to help from Richard's uncle Lawrence Harvey, and his wife Mandy.

The pair have funded much of the renovation work.

Mr Harvey said: "This man has given so much and asked for nothing back, we are so grateful."