Man builds traditional pub inside his house to stop him feeling homesick in America

The homesick Brit splashed out £10,000 on building his own traditional boozer in the back room of his and on finding out the Queen had died, he raised a glass to her in his own pub

A Florida-based British man has splashed out over £10,000 on building his own traditional pub in his back room. Retired US Navy Captain John Jones, from Coventry, moved to Florida in 1994 but the 63-year-old decided to give himself a taste of home by building his own boozer.

The patriotic ex-pat kitted out the room with its own bar, Chesterfield couches, a Union Jack on the ceiling with a lot of royal memorabilia and of course a lot of Scotch.

John said: “I wanted to recreate a bit of Britain in Florida, you do miss home. Although I served in the US Navy, I also love being British.

“I’m probably in the pub every day. At the end of a long day, we’ll sit in there and put some music on, have a malt or a pint.”

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As an ex-pat, John has said he and his wife have collected all things British over the years whenever they see things in the shops.

On hearing the Queen had died, John felt emotional as he was a big supporter of Her Majesty during her reign.

“The Queen was a wonderful lady, it’s heart-breaking what’s happened,” he said. “It’s a really sad day for Britain and the world, what a phenomenal monarch she was.

“She made me feel proud to be British. She was a leader everyone could look up to, because she was kind and noble in everything she did.”

John stated that in his pub there is a large picture of her on the walls.

“It’s a piece of art where somebody has drawn tattoos on her neck,” he said

“I originally saw it in an antique shop in York but the guy wouldn’t sell it to us, so I did a bit of research and found somebody who was selling them online.

“Some people might think the picture is disrespectful because it’s a bit edgy. She was absolutely the most beautiful monarch of all time, she was a striking beauty.”

On hearing the news of her passing, John and his wife Robin raised a glass to the Queen.

“When we heard she passed away, me and Robin raised a toast to her in the pub. We had a gin and tonic, I know she liked gin,” he said.

John had previously met the Queen in 2008 when she visited a museum in Cumbria.

John recalled: “There’s an exhibit there for John Paul Jones, the father of the US navy, and I was there because I was a US Navy Captain. She was so nice and sweet. I was gobsmacked, I didn’t know what to say, my knees were shaking. You end up just getting tongue-tied.”

Now, his pub in Florida has become the talk of his neighbourhood with visitors coming to get a drink.

“But everybody who comes over loves the pub and wants to go back there,” admits John.

“Friends and neighbours love it, it’s cosy and kind of dark. It makes you feel like you’re back in Britain, with that old pub feeling. The Americans have a soft spot for the British more than any other nation. That’s why I think Americans love to come and visit the pub.”

John claimed his pub shows the British culture which appeals to many Americans.

“I think British culture appeals to Americans because we share a common language and the British style, as portrayed in movies, has great appeal. I think we’re portrayed as ‘doing things proper’ and we have that sense of history and pride, which I think appeals to Americans.”

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