Varsity pub is renamed after University of Wolverhampton buyout

Education chiefs have also announced that the pub, which was last known as The Varsity but was formerly The George Hotel, will be open to the public for advice about getting into the University of Wolverhampton.

Two departments will also move into the site on Stafford Street which is separated from the university's MA building by an alleyway.

Work started on the development in February after the pub closed at the end of June last year.

University spokesman James Allen said: "The building has been remodelled inside and will be known as The Gateway@The George.

"The ground floor will be open to the public to gain advice and guidance about the university, getting into higher education, finance and courses.

"We will also be utilising the upper two floors as offices and it will be home to the office of the dean of students and the International Centre. Work is due to be completed around the second week in June and then staff will start moving across."

Work to revamp the building, which dates back to 1933, is part of wider £45 million redevelopment plans at the university.

Plans were submitted earlier this year for a new £25m science block which would see the five-storey MB building that fronts onto Stafford Street transformed.

A current single-storey extension will be demolished on the site to make way for a bigger six-storey building covering more than 6,000sq m. The building will feature lab facilities for around 2,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students and be home to around 150 staff.

It will also include an area from Stafford Street through which the public can view the inside of the building and see experiments and teaching in action.

Other parts of the development would see a new £15m building for the business school on the north campus opposite Molineux.

This would be built on land between the school's current MN base and the school of health and wellbeing's MH building in Molineux Street.

A £250,000 outdoor all-weather sports pitch is being created at the Lomas Street halls of residence.

It will provide floodlit pitches suitable for five-a-side football, basketball, netball, tennis, hockey, volleyball and circuit training and it is expected to be completed by August.

The sports area will operate between 9am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 8pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays

University vice-chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer, said the university was looking forward to bringing the George back into use.

He added: "It's a landmark building in Wolverhampton city centre, so is in a great position to provide useful advice and information."