The Hayward has its Heyday!
It has been a fabulous week at the Duke and tonight the celebrations continued as we officially opened the Hayward Room.
With our new luxurious wedding offer the Hayward was is much need of some TLC so in January the doors were closed and work began. For just over two months every inch of the room received the attention it deserved.
Walter Combstock (owner) has dedicated himself to the building for over 50 years, there is not a detail of the Duke that he hasn’t explored! In their 15th year of ownership, Walter and Jon have lovingly restored so many features that were once covered up and concealed from public view, even revealing the grand pillars in the restaurant.
Jon said “Every year we refurbish six bedrooms, last year we gave the restaurant a mini makeover, and we extended our reach into the local community as we took on renovations of the famous train and boat at West Hoe Fun Park. Now the Hayward has had the refurbishment that it deserved.
As we relaunched our wedding offer we could see that the Hayward just wasn’t up to scratch, compared to the grandeur of the ballroom and elegance of the restaurant that we were seeing in the wonderful stylised shoots that took place last year. But we needn’t have worried, because when Walter refurbishes a room he does it properly!
When you look up at the windows the very top section has just been uncovered having been boarded up for years. When we discovered this architectural detail we had the glass replaced, we’re so proud to show off another element of the Duke’s unique character and history.
Walter and I both love this building and our mission has always been to showcase it in all its glory. Once again Walter has done an incredible job. We’d also like to give special thanks to Bill who singlehandedly redecorated the room.”
It is fair to say it has been quite a week at the Duke and with a stunning sunset on this March evening, it was the perfect way to end an incredible week.
Thank you to our guests for sharing another moment in the Duke’s rich story.
