A PUB in Henley has re-opened with a new look, landlords and name.

The Victoria in Market Place is now called the Queen Victoria and has been fully refurbished.

The pub, which opened its doors to 150 invited guests on Friday, will specialise in real ale.

Simon Rolls, 28, is running the pub with his partner Renee Ansell, 30, and the couple live above the premises.

Mr Rolls said: “We’re just so pleased to be finally open. We had a great turnout for the opening and met a lot of the neighbours and received good feedback. Everyone is really pleased that we’ve got good ales and that’s what we will be continuing with.”


The Enterprise Inns pub was run by Cristiano and Jo Vanni for seven years until it was shut following a licence review by South Oxfordshire District Council’s licensing panel.

Thames Valley Police had called for the review after 65 licence breaches were reported at the premises over a period of five years. These included fights, underage drinking and drug-taking. Mr Rolls said he changed the pub’s name to usher in a “fresh start”.

He said: “People associated this pub with how it was before and we wanted to show them that it’s a new pub but still connected to its old name. It’s totally different and unrecognisable from before. It has really come together and we’re very pleased with what we’ve got and how it looks.”

The couple used to run Mr Rolls’ parents’ pub, the Allied Arms in Reading.

Published 10/12/12