Last night (Thursday 19th April) saw the opening of the Penny Theatre following an investment of £200,000 from the Stonegate Pub Company, the company that operate and own the pub.

Craig Coppen, Manager of the Penny Theatre said: “The Penny Theatre looks fantastic and I would encourage people to pop in and pay us a visit to see the changes – we were hoping that refurbishment would bring the pub back to its former glory but it’s so much better than we expected or hoped for.

“The team and I are really pleased with the feedback and reaction from our customers who had nothing but good things to say about the new look. When the builders handed the pub back to us, I invited the team to come and have a look and they were so excited. The investment has given the pub that extra edge and we’re looking forward to our opening weekend and making the Penny Theatre a must visit pub in Canterbury.

“We’ve introduced new, large tables in the centre of what used to be the pit area and they are great for people meeting up for studying or discussing projects during the daytime, particularly as we have free WiFi. In the evening they create the perfect setting for large group of friends looking to have a drink or two and a bite to eat. They really lend themselves to providing a buzzy, social atmosphere.

“Along with the new look, we’ve also got some new offers including our pizza selection which are cooked to order using freshly made dough and a range of toppings – the quality of pizzas that start at £4.75 are just fantastic and I’d highly recommend them. We’ve also introduced two more cask ale pumps – one of which is currently serving Shepherd Neame’s seasonal ale, Early Bird. We’ve introduced more cask ales as we are seeing an increase in people asking for it which is great news for the local and regional brewers and we’re delighted to be able to give our customers a greater choice.

“All in all, we’re really pleased with the pub and the feedback. We are looking forward to this evening where we’ve got music from High Tide, Project Plenty, Black 1 and the White Tings and we’re hoping that this will be the start of great live music events at the Penny Theatre.”