New Long Sutton pub owner 'will need to be brave'

A popular pub stands a good chance of being snapped up at auction - although a new owner will need to be brave, according to a councillor.

The Ship pub in Long Sutton is going up for sale at an auction next month.

The London Road pub - which recently received planning permission for a home in the car park - will go under the hammer with Auction House East Anglia on Wednesday February 9.

The guide price for the pub is £300,000-350,000.

Long Sutton district councillor Andrew Tennant said the future of the pub is a big talking point in the town. He said: “It’s a shame, that was one of the best pubs in town when I was younger. It’s had a lot of money spent on it and it has been well renovated.

“The price for it at the moment is very reasonable. I think it stands a good chance of somebody taking a punt on it.”

However, he added that whoever buys it faces a big challenge - with the rising cost of living and heavy competition making it tough for our pubs to survive.

Coun Tennant said: “At the moment you are a brave man to take on a pub - and not just because of Covid - that has just accelerated things from before the pandemic when pubs were struggling.

“For the size of the town Long Sutton does well. I do hope that somebody takes on the Ship - it’s a fantastic location, particularly in the summer.

“It’s not a job I would jump at the chance of taking on but that’s not just a Long Sutton issue or South Holland, it really is a national issue.”

Landlord Andrew Skinner had last year warned residents to support the venture or face the risk that ‘it could end up as a Tesco Express’.

Mr Skinner bought the pub in 2018 and renovated the premises. When the manager moved on in 2020, he decided last year to take it on for himself.

The building is thought to have been created as a pub when two cottages were converted in about 1860.

Mr Skinner said he did not wish to speak to the Free Press about the upcoming auction.