Community Group buy Cumbrian Pub

Posted by Sidney Phillips on 4th June 2021 -

It was the dour Scots actor Hugh Laurie who made his fame by playing the character Private Frazer in the wartime-themed BBC TV sitcom Dad’s Army, when he oft remarked: “We’re doomed, we’re all doomed!” Of course, his pessimism was always found to be completely unfounded, and this is looking to be the increasingly the case with the predicted demise of the British pub. Some industry commentators have recently suggested nothing but doom and gloom lies ahead for the industry. But is this really the case?

The sale of an otherwise unremarkable village pub in Cumbria by Sidney Phillips in March 2021 is an excellent example of what is happening at the moment with the licensed property market. The Lowther Arms is the only pub in the small settlement of Mawbray in rural north west Cumbria. It’s the sort of unfashionable part of the world one only ever goes to if you really need to - or if your SatNav is on the blink. Set in hard core farming country a few miles from Maryport, it’s light years away from the tourist hordes seeking out the likes of Peter the Rabbit; Lakeland cruises, and novelty fudge selection boxes in the honeypots of Ambleside and Coniston.

Add to this unlikely equation that the Lowther Arms boasts no thatched roof; no Egon Ronay rosette, no ghosts of Civil War soldiers, nor any other distinguishing features, and one starts to get a picture: it’s just a good honest village pub that has served its rural community for generations. On paper at least, it didn’t seem to be the sort of business opportunity that was going to set the phone lines ablaze with enquiries, but despite having been closed for a number of years – and at the height of the Covid pandemic - when it came to sale there was actually competing bids to acquire the pub. Who’d have thought it?

However, one thing that is remarkable (really remarkable, in fact) about the Lowther Arms, was that it was ultimately bought by the villagers of Mawbray themselves. This might sound crazy – like a rejected script for an Ealing Comedy – but it’s absolutely true. They clubbed together to raise the funds via a share subscription scheme and today own the place. And don’t dismiss this as a pipe dream, as the Plunkett Foundation (a charity that supports the establishment of social enterprises) reports there are now more than 150 such community-owned pubs across the UK, and to date not one of them has failed.

This is a real win-win: the previous owner gets a fair price for their business and enjoys the legacy of seeing the village keep its pub (you might be relieved to learn the community have appointed professional tenants to run it). There are already big plans for a grand opening ceremony on the 26th June – why not pop along, especially if you’ve got an unreliable SatNav? But what this example of the sale of a more marginal pub business really illustrates, is that there is still strength in depth in the pub property market at the moment. If the otherwise unassuming Lowther Arms can have a happy ending, then so can your pub. Let’s not take Private Frazer’s word for it that we’re all doomed – far from it, in fact.

For further information about pubs for sale or how to buy a business, please contact Sidney Phillips on 01434 607841 or please click here.