Historic pub to go under the hammer

A HISTORIC Lymm pub is among more than 100 lots due to go under the hammer at a property auction in Manchester and Leeds next month.
Seven pubs across the North West are up for auction at the Pugh’s property sale on September 3, including the Stamford Arms in picturesque Little Bollington, near Lymm.
With a guide price of £850,000, the Stamford Arms had more recently been renamed “Home Bar and Restaurant” and focused on its food offering. But it has stood empty for a number of years.
The three-storey property stands on a 1.5 acre site with a beer garden, parking for 60 vehicles and former stables.
The total number of pubs in England and Wales declined by 235 in the first half of this year, with an average of nine closures per week, according to Government data. There are currently more than 41,000 pubs operating in England and Wales.
Pugh managing director Paul Thompson said: “We’re all familiar with the tide of closures across the country as the pub industry comes under pressure from changing leisure habits.
“The good news is that former pubs are often perfect for imaginative redevelopment projects and can be put to all kinds of interesting residential or commercial uses, subject to obtaining the necessary planning consent.
“We find pub and hotel properties tend to generate large amounts of interest from potential buyers and sale by auction is one of the most rapid and effective ways to ensure that a former pub can take on a new and useful identity within a community.”