Backyard Mini Pub Blows People Away
Pub culture is a big deal in England. For many, the local pub is central to the community. It’s where people go to connect with others, listen to music, and cheer on their favorite sports teams. So it’s understandable that many are missing their local pub during quarantine. One family in Wigan, England has been missing their pub so much that they had a mini pub built in their backyard. (1, 2)
The husband and wife team at Octavia Chic were called in to build a backyard mini pub from scratch. Amy, the owner of Octavia Chic, and her husband consulted with the family and created plans for the garden pub. Then they built the structure, painted, and outfitted it with traditional pub decor. Besides its size and backyard location, it’s hard to tell this pub apart from any other. (2)
As she does with many of her projects, Amy posted photos of the finished product on the Octavia Chic Facebook page. She wrote, “My husband and I have had a very busy few weeks working on our favourite project to date. ‘The Drunken Crab’ built, painted and interior designed for the Crabtree family who are loving having their own pub in the Garden.” (2)
People immediately went wild for the unique project. The photos have received more than 27,000 likes, and people have shared them over 35,000 times. (2)
It’s All in the Details
Their enthusiasm is understandable. Everything about the backyard pub was clearly planned to the tiniest detail. The outside is adorable. The square structure fits into a corner of the garden with one of the pub’s corners housing its entrance. The white outer walls perfectly contrast with the black French doors, windows, and hardware. Features like window boxes and a lantern-esque light fixture bring even more interest to the exterior. (2)
Finishing off the outside is a sign that identifies the pub as “The Drunken Crab”. This name pays homage to the Crabtrees, the family who had the mini pub built. (2)
It’s hard to know where to start when it comes to the interior of the pub. Every surface is covered with handmade and antique-looking items. One corner is home to a rectangular table, surrounded by benches and two stools. The corner across from it has a smaller round table with two chairs. The cushions and pillows on the benches, chairs, and stools are all around the same hue of red, but they don’t match perfectly. This makes it look as if they’ve been collected throughout the years at a real local pub. (2)
The walls are covered with prints, paintings, mirrors, and signs. Some, like a print of a crab and a collection of seashells, give a slight nod to The Drunken Crab theme without overdoing it. (2)
The bar itself is small but plenty big enough for a family and a few friends. There are two taps behind the bar, as well as a collection of liquor on wall shelves. Glass mugs hang up above, and a hidden mini fridge provides room for wine and champagne. (2)
Mini Pubs in High Demand
From a subsequent post by Amy, it seems that Octavia Chic has received many requests from others wanting their own mini pubs. Amy wrote, “Thank you for all your fab feedback and comments. Really appreciate it, we’re overwhelmed with the response. I am still working my way through enquiries and comments, may take a while. We are based in Wigan and as this took 3-4 weeks to complete we can only consider doing garden pubs in the Northwest. Also we would need to come and have a consultation before pricing. Thank you all so much and of course to the Crabs for letting us do this for them. “ (2)
It seems like Octavia Chic has their hands full at the moment, but this would be such a fun project to take on if you have the outdoor space. You could even convert a premade shed to a mini pub if building one from scratch isn’t your thing.
