A BOLTON businessman achieved his dream when his company’s million pound new premises in Westhoughton were officially opened.

The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Professor George Holmes – Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton – cut the ribbon at St George’s House in Bolton Road to mark the culmination of a lengthy business journey for Chris Houghton.

The head of technology and support provider Eventura wanted to create a state-of-the-art business centre and bought the old Cross Guns pub for its site.

In a special nod to its history, the ultra-modern, purpose-designed building has at its heart a bistro-like “pub” room that Mr Houghton has created as an office canteen for staff – complete with dartboard, pictures of old Westhoughton and items retained from the original pub.

The three-storey building - designed by architect Karl Robinson from Kreative Design Solutions in Bolton and built by Martin McQuaid of D H Welton and Co, Manchester - drew praise from Professor Holmes who called it “magnificent.” He also paid tribute to the “whole team which has worked so hard” to create the new local landmark.

The building boasts customer reception and demonstration areas on each floor along with customer parking onsite, a dedicated server room and multiple lines of failure for power and communication. It has meeting and chill-out rooms, hot-desking throughout and 24-hour monitored response by police and CCTV among its wealth of facilities.

Mr Houghton, who won the Business Person of the Year Award at the 2014 Bolton and Bury Business Awards, said he was “absolutely delighted” with the building. “It’s a tribute to everyone involved in it and everyone who has supported us,” he stated.

Mr Houghton, a former pupil at Thornleigh Salesian College, joined Hawker Siddeley as a teenage apprentice and took degrees in electronics and computing. He worked for some of technology’s most famous names, including IBM, before founding his own company 15 years ago.

He is also chairman and founder of the Bolton branch of the Royal Society of St George, hence the building’s name, and it was officially opened on the eve of St George’s Day.