The pub where Liverpool and Everton football clubs were formed on the market at £3.75m

Football pub and hotel on market for £3.75m

A venue that is famed for being the birthplace of both Everton and Liverpool football clubs and a match-day institution has been put up for sale with a guide price of £3,750,000.

The Sandon Complex is considered the “go-to for match-day hospitality” and has served the community under various ownership since the 1870s. Originally owned by the founder of Liverpool Football Club John Houlding, it was here that the team’s formation documents were signed and where it all began.

In 2017, the business was acquired by Kate Stewart and underwent an extensive refurbishment inside and out. Under Stewart’s ownership, the venue is said to be thriving once again, trading as a multi bar and function venue and the first official off-site partner of Liverpool FC, providing hospitality just a stone’s throw from the stadium in Anfield.

It has five function rooms and a revamped pub that runs a programme of events and entertainment, with capacity for more than 4,500 people spanning across the entire complex. There are large outdoor screens sports viewing, live music events and food and drink available all day.

Guests are also able to stay the night at the recently opened on-site hotel. The Sandon Hotel currently comprises 123 beds across 20 rooms, with planning permissions secured for an additional six further rooms, presenting a fantastic opportunity for prospective buyers.

Stewart said: “I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the hospitality sector after more than 20 years to dedicate more time to my children. I will miss the Sandon terribly, but I feel this is the right time to close this chapter and spend more time with my family whilst they are still so young."

Tom O’Malley, associate director in Christie & Co’s hospitality team, who is handling the sale, added: “With its historical associations and contracts with Liverpool FC, along with its proximity to Anfield Stadium, this multi-faceted business is an exciting and rare opportunity. We are currently seeing increased demand for wet-led public houses, so we expect the sale to attract attention from a wide variety of buyers.”

Hip hop speakeasy Roxanne gears up for 2022 opening

Roxanne, a bar that is claimed to be the world’s first “hip hop speakeasy” will open in Shoreditch in February 2022.

From the team behind Dirty Bones, Roxanne will offer a taste of 1980s New York, inspired by the city’s legendary block parties and music. Roxanne will be tucked away on an east London side street, accessible via a secret door next to Dirty Bones’ Club Row site. Guests climb the stairs and enter into a laid-back lounge space with “dark and cosy corners, classic cocktails and a soundtrack celebrating hip hop’s roots in soul and funk. There is an intimate stage for DJs and live performances, and an atmosphere reminiscent of New York’s loft style house parties, with a state-of-the-art sound system to boot.  

The name Roxanne was inspired by ‘The Roxanne Wars’ – a musical battle between two famed artists of the same name. Roxanne will not only be a speakeasy bar, it wants to be a “leading supporter of diverse talent”. 

Only pub in the village up for sale at £725k

The only pub in the village of Redmire in North Yorkshire has been placed on the market.

The Bolton Arms, which estate agent Christie & Co claimed has served its community unopposed for more than a decade, is a traditional country inn comprises a bar, restaurant, five en-suite letting rooms and a car park. It also has beer garden and open marquee with sweeping views over the Yorkshire Dales.

The pub has been owned by Martin and Stefanie Bellerby for three years. They said: “We came back from Abu Dhabi and took over the Bolton Arms in December 2018 to pursue a career and lifestyle change. We’re both from Yorkshire originally and knew the area really well. It has been everything we thought it would – a fantastic place to live and to work. We work hard but it’s incredibly rewarding. We have a brilliant team in place and can leave the business in their capable hands when we’re not around.

“We’ve built a brilliant reputation for our food offering and our letting bedrooms are extremely popular with holiday makers. We haven’t forgotten we’re a pub, however, and take pride in our bar – it is always well stocked and popular with the locals. 

“Until such time that we do sell the business, our customers and staff can be assured that we’ll continue to run the business as though we were staying, indefinitely.”

The Bolton Arms is offered for sale freehold at an asking price of £725,000.

Hampshire pub reopens after £250,000 refurbishment 

The Trinity Tavern in Fareham, Hampshire, has reopened following a transformational £250,000 refurbishment.

The pub, which is run by licensee Bev Eastman and owned by community pub group Admiral Taverns, has had an interior and exterior renovation, including a new beer garden with covered outside seating plus heating and lighting fittings for year-round use – it can seat up to 100 people. A new back bar and flooring have been added inside.

Eastman said: “I am so amazed at the transformation of the pub, thinking back to what it used to look like and comparing it to now. We were determined to maintain the character of the pub and I am so pleased with how it has turned out. Admiral Taverns has been very supportive and I can’t wait to welcome our lovely locals back, with an even better offering than before.” 

The pub will introduce a small food offering in a bid to diversify. Options will range from toasties, wraps and nachos to Sunday roasts and pizzas.

Admiral Taverns business development manager Nick Lawson said: “Bev and the team have done an amazing job in putting the Trinity Tavern at the heart of the community. The entertainment they provide for the community is second to none. I’m so excited for them to show off their new look which will appeal to a very wide audience and I can’t wait to be enjoying a drink on the amazing new patio and would recommend anyone in the area to do the same.” 

Iconic rock music venue founder awarded for 20th anniversary

The founder of an iconic Birmingham music venue, popular with rockers from across the globe, has received a prestigious award to mark its 20th anniversary.

The award was presented to Paul Phillips of Scruffy Murphy’s on Newton Street by the building’s owner Star Pubs & Bars. It recognised the contribution the venue has made to Birmingham’s music scene during the past two decades.

Scruffy Murphy’s celebrated its 20-year milestone by holding its first rock festival at the weekend, since restrictions were lifted.

Phillips took over Scruffy Murphy’s in 2001, when it was an unloved Irish bar and transformed the building into a ground-floor pub and basement event space. Since then, Scruffy Murphys has won a worldwide reputation and hosted more than 5,500 rock and heavy metal bands.

Phillips said: “It’s been a tough 18 months for everyone. Hospitality and entertainment have been particularly hard hit. The price of closing was eye-watering. It’s the support and encouragement of our followers that has got us through, I can’t thank them enough. At our lowest point, they even raised more than £4,000 to help. When we started out, Birmingham had many more venues like Scruffy Murphy’s. Now there are only a couple of us left.”

The Aubrey London to replace Bar Boulud and open in new year

High-end drinking and dining destination the Aubrey London, which will replace Bar Boulud, is set to open in the new year.

It is the first venture from Hong Kong-based restaurant group Maximal Concepts and will open within the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park site in Knightsbridge, west London. The venue said it “will create a fully immersive experience where art and design meets high-quality drinks and innovative dining”. 

The Aubrey London said it will be “an eccentric Izakaya restaurant with menus that showcase traditional Japanese cooking techniques with a focus on sustainable, locally sourced produce” where “two bars will offer distinctive and creative cocktail menus that will provide culturally rich drinking experiences”. 

Prospect Pubs & Bars to open fifth site

Prospect Pubs & Bars, which is owned by Dan Shotton and Mark Draper, is to open its fifth site – the Joiners Arms in Bloxham, Oxfordshire – in January.

The grade II-listed was originally built in the 16th century as an inn with courtyard and stabling to serve travellers that passed through the village. Prospect Pubs & Bars is undertaking a refurbishment and extension programme on the property while adding to and enhancing the venue’s dining and outdoor areas. Inside there will be space for 130 dining covers and an extended 70-cover terraced patio will extend the venue’s alfresco drinking and dining.

Director Shotton said: “We cannot wait to get this much-loved site back up and running again. Across the Prospect Pubs estate, all our sites stand by the same ethos. We aim to create authentic British pubs that stand up for good old-fashioned hospitality, offer a warmth of welcome and embed themselves into the local community.”

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