AN extensive refurbishment of Bolton's oldest pub has come under fire. Ye Olde Man and Scythe has closed for a major 10 week re-fit. And a local artist was stunned when he walked past and saw the whole bar area had been ripped out.

Chris Brierley said: "I couldn't believe it when I looked in through the window.

"No matter what they do with it, it just won't be the same when it re-opens."

He added: "I'm firmly of the view that if something isn't broken, don't fix it, especially when it's as significant as this.

"I'm very surprised and concerned. The building is such an important part of the town's history."

Mr Brierley added: "I've spoken to quite a few people about this. It's motivated by money and packing more people in, rather than caring about the history of the place."

However, landlord of the Churchgate pub John Jewitt has described the refurbishment as an "imaginative enhancement to a famous and important building."

The work is intended to return the front end of the pub to how it looked in Victorian times and the covered courtyard at the rear will be furnished and become part of the vaults bar.

Mr Jewitt said that more than 15 months of planning had been involved, with detailed consultation with brewers Whitbread and planning approval from the council.

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