A popular Old Town pub is undergoing its biggest refurbishment since conversion from a bank into a bar some 15 years ago.
The facelift at the William Wilberforce in Trinity House Lane is already under way, with work completed on a new sound and light system.

In the coming fortnight the venue will be given a complete make-over inside and out, although manager Emma Badham emphasises that the structure of the listed building will not change.

“It’s a magnificent building and that’s always been one of the big attractions, so we wouldn’t want to change anything about that even if we were allowed to,” said Emma.

J D Wetherspoon bought the property 12 years ago. The programme of work which began this week will include the complete refurbishment of the toilets on both floors of the building, sanding and re-treatment of the wooden floor, new tiles on the entrance steps and new awnings above the windows.

The work has been planned carefully with the result that the bar will only close for three days, with the shutdown after last orders on Sunday 27 October and the re-opening on Thursday 31 October.

The venue was converted from an old branch of Barclays Bank into Lloyds Number 1 in the late 1990s. It was re-named as the William Wilberforce in time for the celebrations in 2007 which marked 200 years since the abolition of the slave trade.
Emma added: “This is probably one of the biggest bars in the area and it’s always been very popular but it is important to keep up with the times in this industry so we’ve invested a significant amount in these improvements.

“The old sound and light system was fairly limited by our standards but the new one is as good as anything we have in any of our bars. It will make our Friday and Saturday DJ nights and our Wednesday salsa night even better and it will also be great when we have live music, as we did for Hull Trinity Festival.

“We’ll be adding Thursday DJ nights from November for the build-up to Christmas and we’re already getting some repeat party bookings from people who came last year.

“The improvements are not just about the surroundings. We’re looking at some new ideas, such as adding live music on a Sunday, and we’ll be doing a few things behind the scenes to improve customer service.

“We have always been an important part of the social scene in the Old Town and a big, busy pub on the circuit but we want to become more of a destination and these changes will help us do that.”

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “The William Wilberforce is a big attraction in Hull’s Old Town and adds a lot to the variety on offer in the city centre.

“As Emma says, the bar also includes a lot of variety in its own offer with food, drink and live entertainment – as demonstrated by its support for Hull Trinity Festival. The new investment is a real vote of confidence in Hull’s nightlife and sends out a very positive message.”

Pictured: Emma Badham, Manager of the William Wilberforce (photograph by Karl Andre).