Revitalising The Old Barge’s Online Presence with a Custom WordPress Website
Virtue Web Solutions had the pleasure of rebuilding the website for The Old Barge, a popular pub and restaurant located in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The original site was dated, dysfunctional, and no longer fit for purpose. Although we had supported the pub over the years with hosting and minor fixes, it became clear that a complete overhaul was necessary. We rebuilt the website from scratch using WordPress and a fully custom theme, giving The Old Barge a fresh, modern, and professional online presence. In addition, we implemented features that allow the pub’s management team to easily update the site themselves, ensuring it stays dynamic and engaging.
From Outdated to Outstanding
The previous website not only looked poor but also suffered from a host of technical issues. Our solution was to rebuild the entire platform from the ground up, creating a responsive, fast-loading, and visually appealing website that better represents the vibrant atmosphere of The Old Barge. We focused on user experience — for both visitors and management — ensuring that key information like opening times, menus, and booking options are easy to find and even easier for the staff to update.
Custom Features for Easy Management
We wanted to make sure that The Old Barge’s team had full control over their website without needing technical knowledge. We incorporated custom features that allow staff to quickly and easily add or edit events, upload new menus, update photographs, and manage online restaurant bookings. This flexibility empowers the pub’s management to keep their website fresh and relevant with minimal effort.
Engaging Visitors with a Hero Video
To bring the spirit of The Old Barge to life online, we visited the location and filmed a custom introductory video. This video plays subtly behind the pub’s logo in the website’s main hero section, adding a unique and captivating touch that instantly welcomes visitors and gives them a feel for the atmosphere before they even step through the door.
Bespoke WordPress Development
As with all our projects, The Old Barge’s website was built using a completely bespoke WordPress theme — no off-the-shelf templates were used. This ensured the site was lightweight, tailored specifically to the pub’s needs, and future-proof. The result is a smooth, fast, and reliable website that not only looks fantastic but also supports the operational needs of the business.
Adam has done an amazing job bringing our website up to date and making it so much easier, not only for our customers to navigate, but also for us to make any amendments. Changing/adding menus and events etc has never been easier.
Quick to respond with any queries and nothing is to much to ask.
So glad to have found him, we have used a few different web developers over the years and no one comes close!
