After a fire devastated the Shinfield Arms Pub, Calldene Structural Timber Solutions partnered with Vidette UK to design and supply bespoke timber structures that helped the building regain its strength — and reopen to the community within weeks.

The project

The Shinfield Arms is a 500-year-old pub in Berkshire. According to historians, it was built around an ancient wisteria tree, believed to be the oldest wisteria in the country.

In January 2025 a fire broke out in the kitchen of the pub. Thanks to the prompt response of the emergency services, the damage was limited to the kitchen and two other rooms. Unfortunately, the roof of the pub was also destroyed, which left the building open to the elements in the middle of winter.

Vidette UK, a specialist installation company for fit-out, refurbishment, and reactive maintenance was awarded the contract to repair the roof and turned to Calldene to supply the necessary trusses.

The challenge

Protecting the building from the harsh winter weather as quickly as possible was a top priority for the construction team. The new trusses needed to fit in with the existing building structure that had survived the fire. This meant that careful measurements had to be taken and the trusses cut exactly to size. “We have a good working relationship with Calldene and knew they would be able to provide the trusses we needed,” said Steve Butcher, CEO of Vidette.

Located in the middle of the village, the pub’s position on a busy road made site access difficult. Limited space made it impossible to position a crane safely to lift the trusses into position.

The solution

Calldene quickly sent out a team to prepare a risk assessment and measure the roof. “Roof trusses are individually engineered components designed to provide structural support to the roof structure,” explained Darren Moore, Commercial & Technical Manager at Calldene. “Precision-engineered off-site, the trusses are of a consistent quality and can be installed quickly.

“For the Shinfield Arms project, Vidette took advantage of the design service we offer for timber roof trusses to make sure they could install the most efficient and economical roof structure possible.”

From the first site visit, it took the team at Calldene only a week to design and manufacture and a week to deliver them to site and install them. “We knew time was of the essence,” continued Moore. “Without a roof, the pub had to close temporarily for safety. Once the roof was back in place, they would at least be able to continue serving drinks and keep the business running.”

Once the trusses were on site, they had to be manually slid into position due to the restricted space. The trusses were securely fitted in to the remaining structure, ready for the roof to be covered and the pub to reopen.

Special modifications to the trusses, requested by the customer, created a new storage area in the roof space freeing up valuable space on the ground floor.

The result

By early February 2025, The Shinfield Arms was able to reopen its doors at least for drinks service. While kitchen repairs continued and food service initially limited, a food truck borrowed from the sister pub The Bletchingley Arms, was used to serve food in a heated garden tent.

“Working with Calldene, we were able to rebuild the roof very quickly,” comments Butcher. “The Shinfield Arms is now fully reopened with a custom-designed and building regulation compliant roof that will protect the historic pub for many years to come.”

View the complete case study here: Shinfield Arms Case Study