IT’S probably a dream shared by many people who pass an old, neglected, empty pub in a small country town: ‘Wouldn’t it be great to buy that and do it up?’

Heaps of rooms, often two storeys and deep verandahs, steeped in history and usually in a prime location, what could that old building house? Accommodation? A big family home? An art studio? A shop?

All of the above, according to one family in Murrurundi, who are living that dream - renovation by painstaking renovation.

Relatively new residents Sue Stone, her husband John Cockburn, her daughter Abbie Stone and Abbie’s husband Adam Ahmad are undertaking the revamp of the old Tattersalls Hotel on the corner of Haydon and Adelaide streets in the Upper Hunter village.

The pub, which was most recently owned and occupied by local identity Harold Burraston, was built in 1880 and closed in the early 1950s.

“The legend goes that they had last drinks, shut the bar and walked out with the empty glasses still on the bar,” John says.

The Tatts has become Sue and John’s latest project after they put their family home, business and property near Quirindi, Little Kickerbell, on the market.

Abbie said it was “the end of an era” for all of them, including her and her siblings’ families, who would often return to the ‘nest’ to be together.

John said before the sale that it was “awful” to leave such a special place.

“I consider it a real privilege to have been able to live in a place like that,” he says.

“I’ve just absolutely loved living there, but it’s time to move on.”

The sale of Little Kickerbell settled on March 27. The new owner, according to real estate agent Luke Scanlon, is not a local person but is “moving up here and talking about starting up the restaurant again and maybe the farmstay as well”.

Sue and John owned Little Kickerbell for about 10 years, a weatherboard and stone home with features such as six bedrooms, five fireplaces, two bathrooms, a billiard room, breakfast room, two large pantries and large wraparound verandahs.

It has more accommodation in a stone room attached to the homestead, and separate renovated jackaroo quarters.

The couple did extensive renovations to the place, offered guest accommodation, operated a restaurant and even established a lavender farm.

So they’re no strangers to big projects - but the Tatts Hotel is two storeys and more than 30 rooms on six town blocks.

Walking through the old pub, it’s clear what an incredible place it will be when it’s brought back to life, but also overwhelming to see how much work needs to be done before that becomes a reality.

There’s rising damp, leaking roofs and gutters, pigeons, rotting floors, and somewhat inexplicable previous renovations such as tiny subdivided rooms.

But John is a builder who undertakes and oversees all the family’s renovations, and he shows no signs of discouragement.

“I’ve been building all my life - I just break it up into separate rooms and do one at a time,” he says, shrugging.

John and Sue’s move to Murrurundi was supposed to be a bit of a winding-down for the couple, and John laughs at the scope of the latest remarkable project that Sue just couldn’t resist: “We don’t do ordinary.”

Abbie says the plans for the old hotel are “always evolving” and the family is thinking big-picture and long-term.

“We’re not turning it back into a hotel, but we are putting infrastructure in there for if we want to sell down the track,” she says, naming a restaurant as one example of how a future buyer might use it.

“We’re doing a lot of thinking about resale and what people would want in a specialty building like this - it’s not exactly your standard three-bedroom house with an ensuite.”

For the moment, the plan is for the old pub to become a family home, guest rooms, an art/craft studio and a homewares retail space.

For the past few years in Murrurundi’s main street, Sue and Abbie have run Stone & Co Vintage Interiors, retailing upcycled vintage furniture, home decor items, china, collectibles and jewellery.

The shop also stocked Annie Sloan Chalk Paint ™, waxes and brushes, and Abbie has run regular workshops for people to try them out on their own small projects.

She says the shop was always meant to be moved into the pub, but recent Roads and Maritime Services works in the street have had a “massive toll” on the vital passing summer trade, prompting the need for a quick change.

“The pub is such a great space to showcase homewares, light fittings and things like that, so we just want all new, fresh stock up there that’s a bit different from what we have now,” she says, adding that the vintage furniture she upcycles for the old shop will still be part of the range.

The painting workshops will continue, and Abbie says she and Sue will also co-ordinate other mixed-media art and craft workshops from people from all over - including Murrurundi, which Abbie says has its own goldmine of talented artists.

“It’s just going to be such a nice place to come, spend the day, hang out and have fun and relax, and learn some things or just bond with friends,” Abbie says.

“Mum and I really love to go do workshops and things, so we figured other people might like to do them, too.”

The renovations are a long, long way from completion, but Abbie says John and Adam are having a great time doing them.

“We are finding little clues [to the building’s history] here and there, which is really cool - like old newspapers with really irresponsible smoking ads and all sorts of things - ‘buy one Ford Cortina, get one free’.

“Having so many people contact us and tell us about different family ties with the building is kind of driving us as well, as corny as it sounds - everyone’s so behind us and following us along. We didn’t think about that; Mum just liked the building and could see its potential.

“She hates seeing buildings just sitting there - especially old ones, she just thinks it’s such a waste. It takes someone like her, I guess, with a bit of courage to just get in there and do it.”