BUILDER Gordon Davis has avoided the challenges of social distancing down the pub – by using the one in his back garden.
The 60-year-old, who lives with wife Lynne on Oxford's Rose Hill estate, built Peanuts Bar three years ago after selling his restored MGB classic car for thousands of pounds.
The father-of-three used the cash to fund his new bar and built it in the garden over a six-week period with the help of his son Oliver.
Now he can use it for private parties so he doesn’t have to worry about the coronavirus restrictions in place in local pubs and bars.
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He said: “We have had plenty of good gatherings for family and friends since we built it.
"We had quite a few people round for my 60th just before lockdown, but nothing like that since.
“The pub has a lovely bar, a pool table, a dart board, a seating area and an old street lamp out the front.
“Even with social distancing there’s enough room to get quite a few people inside safely and have some people sitting outside.
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“We know if the weather is good we can invite a few friends round and it’s nice to have that option when pubs themselves have all these restrictions at the moment.”
Mr Davis said the raw materials for his garden pub cost about £5,000 but added the project would have cost much more if he hadn’t been in charge of the project himself.
He added: “What you see inside the bar cost me almost nothing - the pool table was free because it was being thrown out of a pub.
“I used to go to The King of Prussia pub in Rose Hill before it got knocked down and turned into the Co-op.
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“It’s a bit of a worrying time at the moment for everyone so it’s good to have this as an option.”
Mr Davis said about 40 guests - friends and family - attended for his 60th birthday party.
He added: “It was a great night - we bought in some barrels of beer and as well as the pub we got in a marquee which took over about eight metres of the garden filled with tables and there was bouncy castle next to that for the children.”
The builder has also hosted a pool night for his friends and everyone who visits Peanuts bar has to sign their name on the wall.
The garden bar is called Peanuts in reference to scenes from American cartoon The Simpsons, which is popular with Mr Davis’s six grandchildren.
For food the builder can use his large barbecue in front of the bar and he and his wife also use the garden to grow lots of their own produce, including runner beans, cabbages and onions.
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Mr Davis added: “If you try to live off what you grow you don’t have to go the supermarket so often.
“It will be nice to invite more people round once the situation has improved.”
Got an unusual garden feature? Email affrench@nqo.com
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