A PUB has re-opened its doors following a major refurbishment.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on improving the Astronomer in Avenue East, Great Notley, owned by the Hungry Horse chain.

The pub has been given a fresh new look inside and the outside seating area extended.

Braintree Council chairman Angela Kilmartin was on hand to re-open the pub last Friday and make the most of the new facilities on offer.

General manager Jerry Milward says she and staff have already received good feedback about the new look.

She added: “We had a fantastic time celebrating the re-opening and our Braintree neighbours really came out to support us.

“Our guests are at the heart of what we do, so it was great to be able to mark the reopening with the local community.”

The pub – previously known as the Branocs Tree – has been renamed to pay homage to Braintree astronomer James Challis, who helped discover Neptune in 1846.