An under-watering hole
BAR SUB ZERO CAN LAY CLAIM TO BEING PERHAPS THE ODDEST EVER IN THE COUNTY
WHILE you might get the occasional Irish bar, theme pubs are a bit of a rarity these days, usually the preserve of tourist traps such as Manchester, London or Edinburgh, as they tend to bring in visitors rather than locals.
But the 1990s were a different time in the pub trade.
You could still smoke inside, alcopops were the drink of choice and pubs were themed in any way the holder of the purse strings wanted.
In Leicestershire, one stands out above all others – and that is Bar Sub Zero, a submarine-themed pub in Hinckley, a town further from the sea than just about anywhere else in the UK.
It opened on Thursday, December 11, 1997 after a huge refit which saw the owners, Peter Ball and Don Walker, travelling 5,000 miles looking for military scrap to decorate their venue
The commitment to the theme was astonishing – the bar’s main entrance was a pair of doors with portholes to add authenticity, with the floor made of steel and more than 15,000 rivets being used to put it all together.
Throttles obtained from a Vulcan bomber, torpedoes and an original Vickers machine gun helped set the scene, and 1940s posters were put up to recreate the feel of the era.
The pub was reportedly built as a DIY project by Peter, who already owned the building prior to construction.
Before its deep sea makeover, the building had a long history as a hostelry, being The Three Tuns pub throughout the 1800s until its closure in 1916.
More recently, in the 1980s and early ’90s, it was the Ardern cafe
and restaurant, and in the intervening years was used by a hosiery company.
Bar Sub Zero gave it a brief new lease of life, and was open four days a week, with DJ Wizz entertaining the crowds most nights.
The venture didn’t last too long, however, but lives in the memory of all those who entered.
The building, at 7 Stockwell Head, now houses a beauty salon, with all vestiges of its former life sunk without trace.