Dorset-based brewer and pub operator, Hall & Woodhouse has bought Minehead’s iconic harbourside pub, The Old Ship Aground, via Christie & Co, off a guide price of £895k.
This characterful Grade II-listed pub is set over three storeys and is hugely popular with both locals, as well as year-round visitors who are attracted to the area's long sandy beaches.
The property features an open plan bar and restaurant, 12 en-suite letting bedrooms and a large four-bedroom owners’ apartment on the top floor. It also has external harbourside seating.
Originally built in 1911, the pub had become very run down and was no longer trading when it was purchased at auction by Julian and Rachael Abraham back in 2013.
The couple, who previously owned a restaurant in Bath, were drawn to its ‘Old Englishness’ and embarked on a painstaking restoration to bring the building back to life and rebuilt its reputation as a quintessential English pub, with a focus on quality food using honest local ingredients.
The pub has become an iconic feature in Minehead due to its stunning location and excellent food and beverage offering, so when Julian and Rachael decided to put it up for sale to start a new project, it attracted a great deal of interest from investors before new owners were found in Hall & Woodhouse.
Julian and Rachael Abraham commented, “Hall & Woodhouse are well placed to build on our successes taking The Old Ship Aground to new hights and we wish them well. It’s all thanks to Christie & Co’s help that we found the right buyer.”
Founded in Dorset in 1777, Hall & Woodhouse is an independent family company that brews award-winning Badger Ales and runs a collection of 180 beautiful pubs and inns across the south of England.
Mark James, Property Director at Hall and Woodhouse, said, “Julian and Rachael Abraham have created a fantastic business at the Old Ship Aground. We are excited to welcome the pub into the Hall & Woodhouse family and have no doubt that it will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Stephen Champion, Director in Christie & Co’s Hospitality team handled the sale and added, “The Old Ship Aground is an iconic business along the Minehead seafront and we are delighted to have brokered its sale to Hall & Woodhouse. We look forward to seeing them secure new tenants for the business and carry out the plans they have install for its future.”