IT is best known as the 'second home' of Viola Beach during their short but much celebrated lives.

But Cultural Quarter bar The Lounge has now relaunched as The Post House after a complete revamp.

The Springfield Street venue is still run by the same team who say they want to strike a balance between honouring the past and looking ahead to a new era.

Warrington Guardian:

They used the downtime during the national lockdown to set about the transformation.

Stephen Joynson, one of the owners, said: "It was looking very tired. It’s not really had any improvements in the past 13 years and we suddenly had this time to do what needed to be done.

"It’s taken a fair few months to get up and running and we thought: ‘Since we’re starting from scratch, let’s give it a new name'.

Warrington Guardian:

"There’s still a nod to the past. We’ve not forgotten The Lounge and everything that was connected to it.

"On the stage we’ve got a list of bands that have played here before and we have a Viola Beach wall.

"We were friends with the boys and they’ll always be linked to the pub so they were always going to be a part of this.

Warrington Guardian:

"They’re never going to be forgotten but there has to be a time when you look forward. Every bar I’ve grown up in has had change at some point.

"It’s a building that means so much to so many people but we also want to bring new people in. We want everyone to feel they’re welcome in here."

Some of the new features include a new stage with a Sex Pistols-inspired backdrop, a games room with pool and table football room and guitars adorn the walls.

Warrington Guardian:

Obviously, The Post Room is subject to Warrington's tighter coronavirus restrictions including a 10pm curfew and table service only.

Different households are also advised not to mix in bars, although this is not being enforced beyond the 'rule of six'.

Stephen, a former Sir Thomas Boteler student, added: "At the moment with Covid-19 and the restrictions it’s very difficult for us to plan what we can do.

Warrington Guardian:

"Ideally we’d love to go back to having the jam nights and bands on again. It’s very difficult to gauge but we’ve now got this great stage to use when things improve.

"We had a soft opening last week. It was a bit of a drill for the staff to get used to it because table service is a big change to how we used to operate.

"We share this issue with everybody in the hospitality sector at the moment. We’ve completely revamped the place and put in a lot of investment to get this going.

Warrington Guardian:

"We’ve had to rearrange all the rotas to accommodate closing at 10pm and obviously there’s unease in the air – we don’t know what’s going to happen next in terms of what the government will do.

"All we can do is have everyone prepared and the rest is out of our hands."

The Post Room's capacity under the restrictions is just under 50 and keeping enough customers coming through the doors to sustain the business is on the team's minds.

Warrington Guardian:

But Stephen sees a silver lining.

The Gainsborough Road resident said: "It’s a new way of working but it’s one I think the staff have really embraced and dealt with.

"I’m actually a fan of this European way of doing things where you sit down and we bring the drinks to you. For somewhere like the Cultural Quarter I think it could be a good way forward even after the pandemic is over.

Warrington Guardian:

"What we've done is a complete regeneration and fresh start. Warrington just needs good, friendly bars that look great and have the right ethos for the area.

"That’s what we’re all pushing for in the Cultural Quarter and I think The Post House deservedly has its place there now."

Warrington Guardian: