A faded mosaic outside a vacant Farnham town centre building has been brought back to life by a resident ahead of Wetherspoons’ arrival.

The Farnham Herald recently revealed that the new Wetherspoons is expected to be called “The J Smyth”, a nod to the James Smyth Ltd department store that once occupied the building on East Street.

There has been much excitement in the town since the announcement, but one resident has rolled out the welcome mat by scrubbing the floor outside the building.

Winston Burrows, a Weybourne resident in his 80s, decided to catch the bus down to the site and scrub the mosaic in order to get what he thought would be a nice picture on his phone.

It took him around 40 minutes and he said he got a few “odd looks”, but now the results are finished it was worth the effort.

Mr Burrows said: “I have never done anything like this before and I did it as I thought it would make a nice photo. I take a lot of photos just for fun and thought the J Smyths mosaic at the front of the shop should be something Wetherspoons should look at keeping.

“I had no idea, however, that the name of the pub would be taking the old name and I think that is just fantastic.”

Mr Burrows has been a keen photographer since he was about eight years old, and used to use a camera for his photos, but now feels you can do just as good a job on a phone.

He recalls his first-ever photo was of wartime singer Vera Lynn in Weybourne, when she used to visit her family in the area each summer.

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon announced plans to move into Farnham in early 2025, sparking excitement in the town, but planning issues have delayed progress on the site.

The company has since indicated it is now eyeing a summer opening this year.