Shopfronts for pubs and bars
A pub or bar frontage often has to keep its character while working harder. Many are older buildings with timber fronts, etched glass and painted signs worth protecting. Licensees also want more room for drinkers outside, doors that cope with a busy Friday night, and lighting that shows the pub is open. Bi-fold screens, canopies, repaired timber and solid security doors are the usual requests.
What matters most?
Timber and glass worth keeping
Traditional pub fronts can often be repaired, not replaced. Damaged panels, glazing bars and mouldings can be made to match.
Doors that stand up to the crowd
Entrance doors take heavy use, so closers, floor springs and locks need specifying for it. Exit doors need the right escape hardware.
Outdoor cover
A canopy or awning shelters a smoking area or pavement tables. Smoke-free law in England limits how enclosed a covered area can be.
Security after closing
Cellars, tills and stock make pubs a target. Steel doors at the rear and laminated glass on vulnerable windows add protection.
Changing the front can touch the licence as well as planning. In England and Wales, works that alter the layout on your premises licence plan can need a variation, minor or full depending on scale. Check with the licensing authority first, as Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
Common questions
Can a smoking shelter be built as a canopy on the front?
Possibly, if it stays open enough. In England a roofed space counts as substantially enclosed when permanent openings are less than half of the wall area, and smoking is not allowed there. Planning and licensing may also apply.
Can you repair an old timber pub front?
Yes, in many cases. Rotten cills, stall risers and mouldings can be cut out and spliced with new timber, then painted to match. A charged diagnostic visit, from £125 ex VAT, tells you what can be saved.