Award-winning pub reopens after fire

The top two floors of The Alford Arms, in Frithsden, were ravaged by the fire, which was caused by hot towels, just out of the tumble drier, spontaneously combusting.

Owners David and Becky Salisbury have now announced that the pub will open its doors on August 22 after a painstaking rebuild.

Becky said: “We have been totally overwhelmed with the comments and warm wishes we have received, through social media, on the phone and in person when we are in our other pub in Marlow or just in the local High Street.

“When we took The Alford Arms over, some 17 and a half years ago, we set out to create a pub which we wanted to drink and eat in.

“Fortunately, the local community seemed to share the same idea as us and quickly took us under their wing and we can’t wait to welcome them back to The Alford.”

The Alford Arms has been awarded Herts Dining Pub of the Year 10 times by the Good Pub Guide.

It recently appeared in the list of Sunday Times Top 20 Gastro Pubs and was the overall national winner in the inaugural FreeFrom Food awards – in recognition of the venue’s ability to cater for individual dietary requirements.

Staff were retained on full pay throughout the closure, and fans of the pub have been able to follow its rebuild on Facebook and Twitter over the last few months.

During that process, investment has also been made in improving the pub’s energy efficiency and in updated technology, such as an online reservations platform at website www.alfordarmsfrithsden.co.uk