A TOWN centre pub that shut unexpectedly in the last week of January is reopening. 

Laarsen's, in Wote Street, which is one of the oldest pubs in Basingstoke, has been taken over by two new publicans.

David Horton and John McMurray are planning to reopen the pub today (Friday, March 15), and eventually rebrand it as The Feathers, which was its original name.

Laarsen's, a popular spot for sports fans due to its numerous screens, will see a shift towards a more inclusive atmosphere under the new leadership.

READ MORE: Laarsen's pub in Basingstoke shut until further notice

"We want to bring it back to its glory," said Mr Horton, a long-time patron of the pub in its former life as The Feathers.

"We also want to make it more welcoming to a wider audience, while still catering to our existing customers.

“We want to be a little bit more inclusive and let more people in to make it more friendly. We want to still keep the old patrons there, while changing the environment a little bit.

“This is no disrespect to the previous owners, but the pub used to be a bit restrictive.  But we think we need to appeal to a slightly wider audience.”

The two new landlords are excited as they plan to deliver the first beers on Friday, March 15.

“We are doing our best to reopen the pub as early as possible,” said Mr Horton, who also works as a Championship football photographer.

Mr McMurray is a builder by profession.

Currently, maintenance works are going on at the pub, but it will be business as usual from Friday.

The two new landlords are also planning to refurbish the pub over the next four to six weeks so that it can be rebranded as The Feathers.

“Initially, it will continue to operate as Laarsen's,” Mr Horton said.

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“There will be scaffolding for about a month to six weeks to bring it up to standard. Once we’ve done all the necessary paperwork, we're going to apply to rename it as The Feathers.”

Mr McMurray will live on the pub premises, while Mr Horton lives just top of town, so one of them will always be at the pub during its opening hours.

The duo has also managed to retain the existing staff so that the pub will continue to run as normal.