A VILLAGE pub will reopen its doors 416 days after being destroyed in a devastating fire.

Mike and Helen Long watched as their family home and business burnt down, following a chimney fire at the Clockhouse Inn in Chideock on Easter Monday, 2015.

Now the family is gearing up to move back into their family home and welcoming locals back to the Clock next month.

The Clock will reopen to the public on Friday, July 15 at 5pm - with Declan Duffy and Lauren Glover, known as The Pickwicks, performing during the evening.

Mr Long said: “They were the last ones to perform in the pub just the night before the fire and it was a very easy decision for us to have them perform on the launch night.

“We are working on entertainment for the Saturday night and we are thinking of a quiz on the Sunday night.”

Over the opening weekend, the owners will be supplying a free buffet on the Friday night, Saturday lunchtime and evening and during Sunday lunchtime and evening.

“These will be as a thank you for everyone’s support,” added Mr Long.

“We will also be doing drinks at 2002 prices to replicate when we initially started trading at the Clock.”

In April, the Bridport News reported that Mr Long and his family needed to be confident about the safety of their home before wanting to move back in to their rebuilt home.

A fire proof membrane has now been installed between each floor of the building to protect the whole house, while the chimney, where the blaze started, will not be used again.

Helen Long said: “We did have to think about whether we would all feel safe living here.

“That thought did enter our heads after what we have been through. The girls can feel extremely safe now and we are much more protected from anything happening.”

The big fire in the Clock will not be lit when the pub opens its doors to the public next month after Mr Long was told by firefighters that the fireplace was too big for the chimney.

Mr Long is looking forward to “getting back to normal” and moving back into his home.

He added: “As a family we are really pleased to know that we will be moving back into our home on Friday, July 1, in order to get everything ready for trading.

“To say we are excited would be an understatement and we can’t wait to get back to normal.”

Speaking in April, Mr Long said that he was itching to get into his new-look home.

“It was never going to be done quick enough for us,” he said. “ It will be done when it’s done - it will take as long as it takes.

“We walk around upstairs and we have level floors and the walls are level now. We found some old stone work that we are going to keep on view and a lot of the old wooden beams will be used.”

For more, visit facebook.com/ClockChideock