Licensee saves historic pubs
A Bristolian licensee is making it his mission to save the city's historic pubs by purchasing and restoring those threatened with demolition.
Oliver Holden, who took on his first pub, the Rising Sun in the Windmill Hill area of the city five years ago, purchases the sites at rock-bottom prices and then carries out the building work himself.
He has just completed the £100,000 development of his fourth pub, the Three Tuns, on St Georges Road, which is set to open this week. It will specialise in real ale including those from local brewers the Bristol Beer Factory.
Holden bought the pub for £200,000 in June from Punch Taverns. The building, which dates from at least 1820 is now surrounded by modern developments.
The neighbouring City of Bristol College had tried to purchase it in 2002 off an asking price of £470,000, to build on the land.
As with all his pubs, Holden has redeveloped it with authentic fixtures and fittings to recreate how it would have looked in the Georgian era.
Holden also owns and completely renovated the Apple Tree, a cider pub in St Phillips Street and jazz pub the Albert Inn in West Street - both of which had been earmarked for demolition by developers.
However he admits the venture is more about his passion for the buildings than running profitable pubs.
"It's good economy to buy these pubs in a dreadful state because I know how to do the work," Holden said.
"These buildings with character, are fast disappearing. Four pubs nearby have been torn down in the last five years, gone for good. For me it's about preserving these historical gems for the community.
"The extent of the downturn has been amazing and business is tough, but because we own the freeholds we can sustain them. We will be keeping an eye out for further sites in the future."
