Our Story
Behind The Boxed Inn is Oscar and Mara – we’re a couple based in Kent. We actually met behind the bar so our experience goes way back; between us we have years of experience in the hospitality industry having both managed pubs, restaurants and bars.
In 2020 we both had to return from New Zealand because of lockdown and like everyone, we had a lot of spare time on our hands. The horsebox originally was used to transport Mara's pony to events years ago, but since had been sat derelict in a field, the idea of making it into a bar had been floated but nothing had ever come of it.
With so much spare time we decided it was finally time to give it a go, we rebuilt the trailer ourselves, with the indispensable help from Mara's dad Steve, and suddenly what had started as a pipedream had become our very own business.
The Transformation
When we decided to convert the horse box, we were greeted with this. The sixty years of towing horses had taken its toll! We first set out by fibre-glassing the wheel arches, which were in a sorry state. After repairing, sanding a painting the exterior, we set to sorting the inside, which was in a worse way than the outside!
We put a whole new floor in, made out of reclaimed scaffolding boards. We also used the boards and old scaffolding poles to make our bar, and our walls are made out of the old middle partition. We tried to use reclaimed materials wherever we could, which we think look fantastic - but are not always time effective!
We had a fantastic time making it, over the course of about eight months, and learnt so many new techniques. We are extremely proud of how the bar turned out, all while keeping a few nods back to the old horse box.