Celebrity buys Welsh pub for £670,000
Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey has outbid Pierce Brosnan and Sir Mick Jagger to land a Welsh pub.
The TV personality (pictured) paid £670,000 for the 270-year-old Brown's Hotel in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, which was the favourite drinking haunt of poet Dylan Thomas.
Mr Morrissey, who with his partner Matt Roberts also owns another pub in the village, said: "I'm very excited to have expanded the business in what I consider to be my second home."
Carmarthen auctioneers Terry Thomas and Company had played down the celebrity interest but the price paid on Wednesday was well above the £400,000 expected.
Matthew Thomas, sales manager at the auctioneers, said: "We're very pleased. We had 500 people here, which was amazing. This is a big drinking town and many were here simply as support, but it has attracted a lot of attention.
"It's a grade two listed building so whatever the new owners decide to do it will keep its historic appeal."
Neil Morrissey and Mr Roberts are said to be thinking about restoring the place to its former 1950s glory.
Licensee Tommy Watts, 72, who expects to hand over the keys to the pub to its new owners in the next few weeks, said of Mr Morrissey: "As the voice of Bob the Builder he is probably well placed to exploit the full potential of the property and fix it up."
He added: "I have met him a few times and he is a nice lad."
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Pierce Brosnan to bid for Welsh pub (6 April 2004)
