Every week we love to shine the spotlight on some of the best local venues that the borough has to offer, in our Pub of the Week feature.

This week we spoke to the new owners of the Prince William Pub to see how they are getting on since reopening the historic venue.

Name of the pub:

Prince Billy's

Owners name:

Ran by father and son Tommy Golden and Andy

The Bolton News:

How long have you been the landlord/landlady for? And how are you finding it?

It’s been eight weeks since we opened. We were pleasantly surprised and pleased with the support we had from the local community, especially over the Christmas period, and there has been a lot of positive feedback on the work we have done on the pub to restore it. There is always room for improvement, but we are really pleased with how it’s gone. It has been a good challenge.

@theboltonnews We went to visit the Prince Billy’s pub this week to check out the transformation😮! It oooks very impressive😍. Click here for the full story: shorturl.at/gkmPQ #bolton #localpub #pubtransformation #history ♬ Modern Show Pub.(958248) - NOBB-D

Give us some history about the pub:

The Prince William Pub building on Bradshawgate dates back 150 years, and was last open in 2017, before it closed its doors. A lot of people have come in talking about the previous owners. We thought it was important to bring it back in the style of the original pub.

The Bolton News: Is food served?

We are going to do food in the future, but we wanted to focus on getting the entertainment sorted, and getting staff trained behind the bar.  

Is there a beer garden?

There is a roof terrace, which we are looking at getting planning permission for to turn it into a beer garden.

What is the most popular drink served and why?

Boddington Bitter. I think people drink it for the nostalgia. We can’t get enough beer kegs in fast enough. Stella original and unfiltered is also popular, as well as the Irish Stout ‘Forged’ – owned by MMA fighter Connor McGregor. Forged has gone down quite well, and is hard to get in.

The Bolton News: What is the most memorable moment at the pub?

When we first walked through the door and saw the transformation of the place, and I still have that feeling every time I walk in.

Do you have an entertainment line-up?

We have bands every Saturday. This weekend on Saturday we have a local called The Reunion who play indie rock from the 60’s to 00’s, and we are expecting a good turnout. Alec Martin who used to be the vocalist for British blues band Night Train performed at the pub a decade ago, and runs our open mic night, which is on the last Sunday of every month. He’s a bit of a local celebrity and is really well-known.

What are the biggest challenges you are facing?

For us the biggest challenge is changing people’s habits because we are new to the area. But we also understand that people have their local pubs to go to. We do however have some regulars that have started coming to the pub. The cost-of-living-crisis and inflation and when stock prices go up, is really difficult, but we also want people to be able to afford the prices.

The Bolton News: What is the best thing about running a pub and why?

The best thing is the people and hearing about people’s lives, losses, and heartbreaks, or having a new baby, wedding, or a funeral. That’s what we are in it for.

What is the worst thing about running a pub and why?

The most difficult part is just finding a happy medium with the cost-of-living crisis, and inflation. I don’t enjoy moving the prices up, but everyone is in the same boat.

The Bolton News: What bonus things are offered at the pub?

It’s been good in the night, but during the day we have a lot of people passing through and that seems to be our clientele. We will be getting a new DJ booth in and a pool table, and our next focus is to extend our hours because we are open until 12 at the moment. We are looking to extend this until 3am within the coming weeks. We are also getting a new jukebox installed this week. On Fridays we have a DJ and karaoke on until late. This also runs throughout the weekend.

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.