A LOCAL historian has condemned the newly-refurbished Nelson Arms pub in Csastle Street, likening the white, minimalist interior to an intensive care unit.

Jean Parratt visited the pub for the first time on Tuesday with a group of people who had been enjoying her tour of the town as part of national Local History Week.

She says she is so appalled by the renovation she would have preferred the pub to have been knocked down.

"To visit the newly converted Nelson Arms now is like entering an operating theatre at a hospital. Every oak beam, panel and wall is snow white, the only thing which is different between the Nelson Arms interior and an intensive care unit is that in the former there is no smell of antiseptic."

However, the Nelson's new manager, Andy McCulloch, has defended his decision to modernise the pub, maintaining that it has been largely well received by both regular and new customers who have remarked on the "light, airy, and open feel" of the place.

Members of the history tour said they were "speechless" and "appalled" by what they saw, describing the changes as "ghastly" and "out of sympathy with the pub's exterior."

Mrs Parratt added: "Unfortunately it will be virtually impossible to remove the white paint from the old oak beams, so it looks as if the developers will be the winners.

"It almost seems better to have an old hostelry demolished than to have one treated in the way the Nelson Arms has been."

Alterations to the pub, which is a Listed building, include re-flooring, the relocation of the bar, and painting the oak beams white.

The pub is now split in two sections - an informal drinking area with wooden benches and a more formal restaurant area with large white tables.

Mrs Parratt's sentiments have been echoed by another local resident who has also found the refurbishment not to her taste.

Sheila Neville, from St John's Road, went to the Nelson last Thursday afternoon and was so shocked by the interior she left immediately.

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"I couldn't believe my eyes. The beams are painted with white emulsion and the floor is covered with navy and white checks, not to mention the white tables; it's minimalism gone mad."

Mrs Neville expressed surprise that Waverley Borough Council agreed to the changes.

"When you think of Castle Street, you think of the wonderful Georgian architecture and this is completely out of place. I've never really been a pub person but I remember the Nelson as a lovely, traditional pub and now it's ruined.

"All these places become targeted to young people and end up looking like pizza restaurants."

Mr McCulloch added: "The pub is supposed to be like Nelson's cabin on the Victory. The point is the beams had been painted before anyway, just in a more natural, brown shade. The place was in a poor state of repair and needed to be re-developed.

"We had the full permission of both Waverley and English Heritage who we consulted because it is a listed building."

Mr McCulloch stressed that the changes are not part of a move to specifically attract young people to the venue and is confident that the pub will appeal to everyone.

"I hope people will come for the food and excellent service which is a stage above pub food. We use the best of fresh ingredients with excellent presentation.

"Since opening eight days ago, we have been very busy both at lunch-time and in the evenings."