Opening date for The Oyster confirmed as cousins inject new life into Southsea pub

The countdown is on until a pub, which has been closed for the past two years, welcomes customers back under the ownership of two cousins.

Trina Wheeler and Tommy Hoare have spent the last few months renovating The Oyster House in Locksway Road, Southsea, as they turn their lifelong dream into a reality.

The pair collected the keys to property on Friday, August 21, and have been working round the clock to give the boozer a new lease of life while retaining its original features.

And they have now confirmed the pub is due to open on October 10, with live music and food scheduled throughout the day.

Trina said: “It’s been crazy. It has been hard work, we have had our ups and downs, highs and lows but overall it is really exciting. It has been great - there have been so many people interested in what’s going on. We have been inside working and all of a sudden we get a head looking through the window, and we are literally turning people away and telling people we aren’t open yet.

“We have done a lot of work. There have been a lot of things we have had to overcome. The place hasn’t been open for the past two years but we have overcome it and put our stamp on it. Everything has been cleaned and scrubbed and my husband has managed to save the parquet flooring and it looks unbelievable. The pub itself is beautiful so we wanted to try and keep the original features - it's definitely mixing the old and the new.

“I am so excited. Obviously there are nerves which are normal, but we are so excited we just want to be there now.”

Trina told The News how she is most excited for customers to tuck into a Sunday roast while the open fire heats the place on an autumnal day.

She said they want The Oyster House to be a pub where people plan to visit and have already signed up multiple live bands and artists to perform over the coming months.