A globe-trotting publican has relaunched one of Clacton’s most historic pubs.

Michael Burgess re-opened the Robert Burre last week after a £300,000 investment in partnership with pub company Punch.

Ten jobs were created in the re-opening of the former 13th Century farmhouse on Burrs Road, which has seen a major revamp of the interior, with new dining booths and back bars with a coffee area.

Michael has a pub career dating back more than 35 years, with him opening bars in Florida and Thailand. Pubs are in his blood, with the 56-year-old actually born in his father’s pub in the East End of London.

“During the 1980s I lived in Florida and set up a British-style pub called the Cricketers, which became a popular venue and led to me opening another two in the area.

“I realised that wherever you are in the world there will always be a demand for a traditional British pub so I did the same again in the mid-2000s when I opened the Queen Victoria in Bangkok,” he said.

Michael also operated his own pub company, which had 20 pubs at one time, including five in Sudbury, the Marlborough Head Hotel in Colchester and the White Hart in Weeley, Clacton.

His most recent venture was the Cherry Tree, Little Oakley near Harwich, which he ran until 2015.

Michael chose the Robert Burre pub, said to be Clacton’s oldest, as he could see it had phenomenal potential.

“It has great facilities, including a spacious beer garden, and I am very much looking forward to returning it to its former glory at the heart of the local community,” he said.

In addition to the revamped interior, the outside beer garden has also been upgraded and improved. A new food menu has also been launched.

Michael said an invited launch on Wednesday saw an “an excellent turnout” as did a general re-opening on Thursday, helped by live music, which will become a weekend feature of the pub.

Joining him at the pub will be Michael’s sister Jan Mead, while wife Jayne stays at home to look after their six-year-old daughter.

“We will have quizzes, functions, we will cater for anniversaries, funerals, parties. We will be a good local, community pub as well as a destination restaurant pub,” Michael added.

Punch Openings Manager Richard Wennington commented: “It is a pub brimming with possibilities and I’m confident that Michael and his team are the right people to unlock its potential.”