A Bourton-on-the-Water pub and hotel that dates back to the 1700s is looking to spruce up its pavement appeal with the addition of new signage – and a fresh face for the pub's namesake English legend.

The Duke of Wellington, on Sherborne Street, is owned by pub giant Wells and Co, which has a portfolio of around 200 owned and managed pubs clustered throughout central England, as well as an extensive presence throughout France. Its Bourton pub is the group's most western outpost.

In a heritage statement, the company told Cotswold District Council: "Whilst designing our proposed signage scheme, we were keenly aware of the history of this site and its prominence within the wider street scene. As a result, we opted to design a like for like scheme in terms of signage locations with additional new signage, with a darker redecoration colour to enhance the appearance of the site."

It is understood that the proposed external changes follow a recent "major new refurbishment". As well as replacement and new signage, LED floodlighting is proposed and the pub has indicated to planners that the work complements internal work.

The company added: "Where we have positioned the lighting will allow the key architectural features of the building to be highlighted without dominating the street scene."

Listed as owned by Banbury brewery Dunnell and Son in 1891, records of landlords go back to 1856. The archive site GloucestershirePubs.co.uk reports that the pub is "ideally positioned in the picturesque tourist trap of Bourton-on-the-Water. The River Windrush runs through the pub's garden."

As well as dining areas, the pub offers five rooms for visitors with twins and doubles from £95.

Many pubs in England were reported to have changed their name to the Duke of Wellington after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, in order to commemorate the man who defeated Napoleon once and for all.

● Wells and Co, trading as Charles Wells Ltd, recently announced the group's latest figures which showed the fifth-generation family business's EBIDTA experienced a significant increase, rising by £800,000 from £8.7m in 2022 to £9.5m in 2023.