Boarded up Oddfellows pub will search for operator to reopen

The Oddfellows was shut at short notice earlier this month by a temporary operator with the doors and windows covered.

However, Heineken subsidiary Stars Pubs & Bars, which owns the Fearnley Street building, has confirmed that it is preparing to get it reopened.

• 'Short notice closure' leaves pub windows boarded up
• Heineken to rebrand The Oddfellows as The Hornets
• The Oddfellows pub could be taken over soon after 'interest'

A spokesperson said: “The pub is to be readvertised in the next few weeks.

“It was temporarily removed from our website as part of a review of operational plans." 

The statement follows the company revealing the initial closure was not part of planned refurbishment works.

The Oddfellows refurb plan (Image: Stars Pubs & Bars)

“We’ve had a temporary operator running Oddfellows in Watford whilst we recruit a longer-term licensee, however, they closed the pub earlier this week at short notice," they said on April 6.

“The pub has now been made secure until a new operator can be appointed."

The Oddfellows refurb floorplan (Image: Stars Pubs and Bars)

Popular with away football fans, the pub still appears set for an “extensive” planned refurbishment to become a “friendly and modern pub”.

There were originally plans to rename it The Hornets, but they were scrapped in October last year.