“It all feels a bit surreal" - excitement as schoolfriends take over the running of the Lord Arthur Lee in Fareham as it gets set to re-open this week

The Lord Arthur Lee in West Street will be given a new lease of life under the management of life-long friends Stevie Barrass and Tash Hurst. The pub had initially reopened after being sold by Wetherspoons in May 2024 with landlord Steven Smith taking the reins.

The ownership remains the same but with the pub closing its doors earlier this year, Stevie and Tash pounced on to an opportunity they felt they would be “silly not to take”.

Its second re-opening will now take place on Thursday, February 26, as it opens with a DJ and karaoke night. The new managers are starting as they mean to go on with music set to be a big feature.

Stevie said: “Fareham used to have Chicago Rock and the Brass Monkey, so at night it always used to be alive, especially at the weekends. It’s not like that anymore, the nightlife is not what it used to be so we are hoping to bring some of that back.

“The plan is to definitely have more music, get local bands and DJs in, and also do more quizzes, bingo, meat raffles. We are also hoping to be able to reopen the kitchen to start offering food again.

“The kitchen has been shut and needs an overhaul with new equipment so we need to do that and we have a couple of people lined up who have experience as kitchen managers.”

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Both Stevie and Tash have experience in the pub industry but this is the first time they will be taking on a management role. When Stevie told her friend, who she has known since school, that she was looking into taking over a pub, Tash said she would do anything to help. That is when the thought occurred that they should do it together.

After Tash spotted the Lord Arthur Lee had closed, she approached the landlord to discuss the next steps. Having met with him last week, they got the word late on Sunday evening that they had been successful.

Stevie said: “It all feels a bit surreal, it seems to have gone from nought to a hundred really quickly. There is a bit of nerves but we just cant wait to get in there and make it our own now.”

Following on from the pubs opening on Thursday night, a ska and reggae night is being held on Saturday, February 28. More details can be found on the Lord Arthur Lee Facebook page.