Historic Star & Garter pub restored after fire
The Star and Garter, in Linlithgow, West Lothian, was razed to the ground in a fire in 2010.
The building, which had stood at the heart of the community for more than 250 years, was left a dilapidated shell, and stood empty for two years, before local property developer Ross Wilkie and his childhood friend David Kennedy stepped in.
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Hide AdIt was so badly damaged, they were able to buy the former pub for just £160,000, but it took them another £800,000 to bring it back to its former glory.
Originally built as townhouse, in 1759, the Star and Garter was bought by a railways firm in the 1840s as a hotel for railway workers, as tracks arrived in the West Lothian town.
It was also a staging post, with stables for passing riders and the mail coach would stop at its doors.
Mr Wikie is now the family hotel’s new landlord, after an epic 15-months of renovation work.
He said: ‘I grew up in the town and when the Star and Garter burned down it was a sad day for the whole town.”