Plans reveal a historic 18th century Edinburgh pub is set to undergo a major renovation project.
The Kenilworth on Rose Street was built in 1780 and has a special A-listed status but the owners, Mitchells and Butlers PLC, plan to modernise the establishment.
A planning application to Edinburgh Council shows that they want to install new panelling, extend the drink shelves, lay down a new timber flooring in their famous snug area and redecorate and retile the toilets.
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The Kenilworth has a long and interesting history and takes its name from a novel by Sir Walter Scott, whose portrait hangs outside.
The historic building was initially used for domestic purposes but a local publican by the name of Peter Fisher bought it over in 1884 and turned it into a bar.
The pub was also given a careful restoration by Alloa Brewery in 1966 and is one of four pubs in Edinburgh with an island bar.
Now over 50 years later the owners are set to give the place another makeover.
The planning application shows that all the planned works will be internal, with the outside of the building remaining untouched.
A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland explains on their website how the building came to get its A-listed status.
They say: “Rose Street as a significant surviving part of the original fabric of Edinburgh’s New Town, one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain.
“The Kenilworth Bar has a well-detailed late Victorian timber front and a very fine interior with striking embossed decorative tiling running high up the walls and an interesting Jacobean-revival style gantry.
“The large mirror advertising Drybrough’s Ale is a fine example of a what was called a mirror showcard.
"Advertisement mirrors like this were widely distributed to pubs by brewers, distillers and wholesalers in the late Victorian period but many have since been destroyed.
They continue: “Though the exterior of the bar is unchanged, the interior, which had been altered in the earlier 20th century, was restored and parts carefully reinstated in 1966-67 by Covell Matthews who re-created the island bar layout.
"The modern wing to the rear was part of the redevelopment of Debenhams next door.
“Category changed from B to A in 2008 as part of Thematic Review of Heritage Pubs.”
The boozer currently remains open from Monday to Sunday, at 12pm to 10pm.
The City of Edinburgh Council are expected to make a decision on the application in the coming weeks and months ahead.
