Built in 1726, The Jolly Coopers is rapidly heading towards its 300th birthday. Owner Nick was once the youngest landlord in the country, taking on the pub in 1986 when he was just twenty.
He and his wife Jane feel that over the years of their tenure they have secured the future of the pub by adding a restaurant and place to stay, thus returning it to its original purpose as a coaching inn. Believing strongly that they are only temporary custodians of buildings like this, they have done all they can to preserve its unique history for the next 300 years.
The pub was originally three bars; the public bar, the snug and the virgin's passage! This was believed to be the “takeaway” as The Jolly Coopers was originally a jug and bottle pub. Each of the apartments has history books about the Hampton area which have been written by our local historian John Sheaf. We hope you enjoy browsing through them and to taking a peek back in time to how life in Hampton used to be.
The apartments came about after a long discussion on pubs being converted into supermarkets or blocks of flats as they are usually on a large plot, have car parks and are in predominant places. Sadly this means that there are now many places without a pub. We thought carefully that if we utilised the pub to its maximum potential, doing what it was built to do, we would eliminate any grounds for it to close in the future.
We are not part of a chain and we are rooted and grounded in serving the community. Our thoughts often turned to what would happen to the pub if we ever retired and where would our locals go. Adding the restaurant and now the apartments means that we have done everything possible to preserve it for future generations.
When you own a listed building, you are duty bound to preserve it and look after it, but you also have to adapt it to the modern world and comply with all the requirements to make it both fit for public habitation and environmentally friendly. So began the 12 long years from conception to fruition.
Built in 1726, the building was originally a coaching inn. In 1997 the pub was extended at the back and Squiffy's Restaurant was born.
After twelve years of the planning approval process, we were able to start building work and development of the apartments during the 2020 lockdown.
We also updated the kitchen, the restaurant and the large patio area outside. The pub had a facelift without losing its character and in June 2023 the apartments were finally ready to open.
Having your builder around for four years means you have to get on and the whole team, led by our close friend Alan, have become lifelong friends. (But we do suspect they will run a mile if we have another "project" come to mind.) We have tried to use as many local, and mainly independent companies as possible during the build and in furnishing the rooms. Special mention to David Rose Lighting in Hampton Hill for all the bespoke lighting solutions to Jane's ideas and to RV Tass Paint Specialists in East Twickenham, who went above and beyond for the cause. To Simon at Reed construction for the consultations and trade connections. To the artistes Garry and Garry for their plastering and painting skills. To Wendy the seamstress for her blind-making skills and to Paul for his skills with the artworks. We thank all the tradesmen and suppliers for their patience and for really embracing the ideas and ethos of the whole build.
The building is now in the best condition it has been in for years. Its integrity has been maintained and she has had, in modern terms, 'a little bit of work done' and in our eyes is looking pretty good for the next 300 years of her existence.
16 High St, Hampton TW12 2SJ
