HUNDREDS of people gathered to celebrate the official reopening of an historic Cornish harbourside pub which was badly damaged by fire last year.

The Pier House in Charlestown has been open again since June following a multi-million-pound restoration from St Austell Brewery, which took the opportunity to overhaul the adjoining pub, formerly the Harbourside Inn, in the process, creating the new Harbour Beer House.

The recent official reopening saw guests greeted with Cornish delights including Camel Valley champagne and ice-cream from a Kelly’s van. They were also treated to music from the Loveny Male Voice Choir.

St Austell Brewery chief executive Kevin Georgel gave a speech reflecting on the journey to restore the Pier House back to its former glory following the fire.

He said: “On the morning after the fire, I vividly remember standing in the Rashleigh Arms with all the team who were still visibly in a state of shock with lots of tears, reflecting the emotional attachment that we all have with the wonderful Pier House and Harbourside.

“I remember giving them my word, on behalf of the company, that we would restore both businesses in full and they would come back better than ever before.

“But to achieve this outcome has been quite a journey and reflects a monumental team effort from literally hundreds of people.

“Having a beautifully-restored building is, of course, only part of the recipe of success and over the last few weeks the team have worked incredibly hard in a very busy period to focus on delivering a fantastic experience for all of our guests and in doing so ensure that the Pier House and the Harbour Beer House are firmly back on the map for locals and visitors alike.”

Guests at the official reopening included members of the Charlestown community and firefighters from the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.

As part of the celebrations, a beer talk was given by Barnaby Skerrett and Rob Orton at the Harbour Beer House, which is a St Austell Brewery and Harbour Brewing Company joint venture.

A raffle for the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust brought the evening to a close.