Hundreds of people gathered in Charlestown last night to celebrate the official opening of a historic harbour pub which was decimated by fire just over a year ago.
The Pier House in Charlestown has been open since June following a multi-million-pound restoration from St Austell Brewery, who took the opportunity to overhaul the adjoining pub (formerly the Harbourside Inn) in the process, creating the new Harbour Beer House.
The event saw guests greeted with delights from fellow Cornish businesses including Camel Valley champagne, ice-cream from a Kelly’s truck, and the Loveny Male Voice Choir kicking off celebrations.
St Austell Brewery’s Chief Executive, Kevin Georgel, gave a heartfelt speech reflecting on the journey to restore the Pier House back to its former glory following the fire which ripped through it in early 2023. He said:
“On the morning after the fire, I vividly remember standing in The Rashleigh Arms with all the team who were still visibly in a state of shock with lots of tears, reflecting the emotional attachment that we all have with the wonderful Pier House and Harbourside."
“I remember giving them my word, on behalf of the company, that we would restore both businesses in full and they would come back better than ever before."
“But to achieve this outcome has been quite a journey and reflects a monumental team effort from literally hundreds of people."
“Having a beautifully restored building is of course only part of the recipe of success and over the last few weeks the team have worked incredibly hard in a very busy period to focus on delivering a fantastic experience for all of our guests and in doing so ensure that the Pier House and the Harbour Beer House are firmly back on the map for locals and visitors alike.”
Guests, which included the Charlestown community and the firefighters from the Cornwall Fire and Rescue service, then moved on to the adjoining Harbour Beer House - St Austell Brewery and Harbour Brewing Co’s new joint venture.
A beer talk was put on by Barnaby Skerrett, St Austell Brewery’s Brewing Assistant Manager and Head Brewer, Rob Orton, from Harbour Brewing.
There was then a raffle for the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust to close the evening.
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