AN award-winning Rawtenstall salon owner has given an 18th century pub a £300,000 transformation.

The Rams Head, in Newchurch Road, reopened today as Tufties, a successful hair and beauty salon which has relocated from Ormerod Street.

Bosses at the salon said the six-month renovation has given them a tour through hundreds of years of the building’s history.

While stripping the walls back, the pub’s upstairs meeting room was discovered to have been split into three small rooms which each held families during the Industrial Revolution.

Evidence of improvements to the building to attract travelling workers have also been found at the site, which was also used as a coach house and hotel in the 1820s.

And the iconic clock on the pub, which had been broken and neglected, has been fixed and restored by Bill Spencer.

Now the building has a hairdressing salon downstairs, and twin massage rooms, a manicure and pedicure room, and beauty and facial rooms upstairs, each exposing original features of the 1750s pub.

Owner Vicky Jones said she and project manager Anthony Cordey, who used to work at The Heritage Trust, have created a fine balance of modern and original features.

She said: “There are so many lovely things here, that I just couldn’t put anything cheap in. I’m really excited to be opening the salon.

“Because I bought it in September 2012 and we’ve been working really hard on it for the last six months.

“It’s been really difficult working with the conservationists, but I think we’ve done a good job.”

In 2012, the business was awarded Salon of the Year and Marketing of the Year titles at an industry bash at The Mayfair Hotel in London.