Scrap expected at celebrity pub sale
Bidding is expected to be fierce for a Welsh pub once the haunt of Dylan Thomas which is now up for sale.
Three years ago Brown's Hotel, a 250-year-old listed building in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, was the subject of a bidding battle between the actor Neil Morrissey and former 007 Pierce Brosnan. That time the site was won by the Men Behaving Badly star, but now he is putting the pub on the market again.
The pub, car park and adjoining building are being sold by property consultants King Sturge with a guide price of £1.5m, with the company inviting bids by January 12, 2007.
Always a high-profile site, regular visitors to Brown's Hotel over the years have included Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as Sir Mick Jagger.
Dylan Thomas is reputed to have got the inspiration for the characters in Under Milk Wood at the pub, after moving to the area in 1938.
Memorabilia relating to the Welsh poet, including photographs and paintings, are included with the sale.
Kings Sturge said Mr Morrissey and his partners had received several approaches to buy Brown's, and he had decided to concentrate on other projects. Agency partner John Kinsey said the property was likely to generate immense interest in both the UK and internationally.
The actor will still have a foot in the pub industry, as he also owns the nearby New Three Mariners pub and the Hurst House Hotel, which is currently undergoing a £5m renovation.
