The March Hare, Guildford

The March Hare in Guildford is the quintessential modern British pub, serving excellent menus of food and drink in a stylish and warm ambiance. The pub is located on the edge of Guildford Castle Park and enjoys views from the courtyard over the park gardens and castle ruins. But this courtyard space was not realising its potential – under shaded in summer and unprotected in winter. Despite being only 25m2, it was obvious that this space could work much harder.

The courtyard space was certainly a challenge – an uneven shape hemmed in on all four sides by the pub and public park. From the initial survey, we knew that only a bespoke solution would succeed, allowing a combination of a retractable roof system with traditional and retractable glazing and French door. Working with our partners, Palmiye, our in-house project architect designed a system that would fit snugly into place, offer the flexibility the owners needed year-round, and still retain the elegance and design aesthetic of the venue.

After transporting the roof system from our production facility in Bolton, we met our glazing partners on site and began a two-day installation programme. Working within such a tight space presented some challenges, not least in ensuring that the roof and glazing were perfectly aligned to maintain full weather protection. But our expert project management and installation team were able to overcome these obstacles, installing the system whilst the rest of the bar and restaurant remained open and trading.

The finished installation speaks for itself – an elegant space in keeping with the building’s existing design aesthetic, offering a new dining experience for 24 covers at a time. Finally, the beautiful views from this little suntrap were being fully exploited and would offer garden relaxation all year round. The new space has proved extremely popular with customers, always the first area to be fully booked, and the owners experiencing a quick return on investment.

James Robertshaw. We don’t just find the solution. We create it.