A historic town-centre hotel is set to reopen - with a new name and image.


The Bull Hotel in Denbigh will be back in business as the Guildhall Tavern hotel and restaurant later this summer.


Joint owners Maria Larsson and Matthew Arnold have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the venture which will feature gastro-pub food in the restaurant and bar, and 11 bedrooms which they hope will earn at least three-star ranking.


Initially the business will generate up to 15 full-time jobs and possibly as many part-time jobs while further employment opportunities will open up when the development’s second phase, which includes three more bedrooms and a function room with a kitchen, takes place within 18 months.


“I can’t wait for the place to be clean and everything done,” said 35-year-old Swede Maria, managing director of Svenska Flicka (Swedish Girl), the company set up to handle the business.


Maria, who arrived in Britain from Malmo in 1995 to work as an au pair, met Matthew, who runs Wrexham’s live music venue Central Station and the South Central and Yales cafe bars, after she decided to train as a nurse in Wrexham two years later.


The Wrexham-based couple, now engaged, have employed local tradesmen such as joiners and plumbers who have “done brilliantly” during the massive makeover of the former coaching inn which has a Tudor core and had been known as The Bull since the 19th century.


However, Matthew, 47, said that their research had shown that the inn had been called the Guildhall Tavern before it became The Bull.


“We have nothing against the name of The Bull, but since the property was having a new lease of life it was suitable to have a change of name. It gives us a new identity and new start.”


Maria and Matthew, who first looked at the Grade II listed Bull in 2002 before buying it in 2007, have created 10 locally themed ensuite double bedrooms. The most luxurious, the Dinbych Suite, overlooks Hall Square.


“The food will be gastro pub, locally sourced and seasonal and there will be a relaxed bistro feel,” said Maria who will manage the Tavern with the help of assistant Carl Sutton.


Matthew said the bar would stock four cask ales and two lagers and added: “I think drinkers are well catered for in Denbigh town centre – there are some cracking pubs - but not evening diners and those who want real ales.”


He added: “We like to think the Guildhall Tavern is going to be a big boost for Denbigh. We hope it will bring a lot of people to the town.”


Peter H Jones, chairman of the Denbigh Business Group to which Maria and Matthew both belong, described the Guildhall Tavern as a wonderful addition to the town.


“It’s nice to see someone have the confidence to do something like this in this day and age. It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s great to see someone with the vision and commitment to the town.”