The famous Manor House pub, one of Otley’s famous traditional locals, is on the market and available to buy freehold – and Otley Pub Club are calling for new owners to come in and buy it.
The Manor, which dates back to the 19th Century, is named after the Thomas Constable’s impressive Grade II listed home, is an attractive mid-terrace pub and a proper community local situated opposite the maypole on Manchester Square. Current owners Thwaites of Blackburn have decided to sell the pub and this creates the opportunity for a local brewery, a small pub company or an individual publican to buy the pub and own it and operate it without any ties. Prospective new owners can take a 3D tour of the pub on Otley Pub Club’s website, thanks to the work of Apollo3D.
The Manor has Asset of Community Value (ACV) status, meaning that there is a 6 week moratorium – during which time interested parties (community group or charity) can register an interest in bidding to purchase the pub. This has to be done by 24th June 2022 in writing to Leeds City Council – we have all the details of whom to contact and how. Although Otley Pub Club themselves can’t trigger this, they are happy to advise and work with others if there is an organisation that wishes to do this. Following the registration of intent to bid, the prospective organisation then have a further 6 months to come up with the actual bid
The current tenants, David and Eileen Stephan, have announced that they have decided to leave the pub, so the pub could become a freehouse, a managed pub or a brewery tap for a local brewery. David and Eileen and family have run the pub for the last 9 years, bringing an Irish twist to this Yorkshire mid-terrace local and Otley Pub Club thank them for their service to the town and for being popular local licensees and friends to many.
The Manor has a reputation for folk music, with sessions and open mic evenings and it has long been the post concerts venue of choice for musicians on the annual Otley Folk Festival weekend. The Manor has a historic late 1am licence meaning that many people, often including other pub and hospitality staff, gather there at weekends.
The pub has separate areas giving a traditional and cosy feel and in the winter, there is an impressive open fire. In the warmer months, the surprisingly large outdoor terrace at the back is a pleasant place to enjoy the weather, along with a marquee for music and an impressive seated smoking shelter.
So it is a great opportunity for the right owner and Otley Pub Club look forward to working with whoever comes forward to buy the Manor House as a pub.
Rob Skinner, Chair of Otley Pub Club said:
“The Manor House is one of Otley’s famous historic pubs and with the news that the freehold is up for sale, we hope that a new owner will buy the pub and look forward to working with them. It is a lovely welcoming pub, a proper community local, with huge history and a great ambiance.
“We thank David and Eileen and their family for their years of service to the Otley community and are sad to see them go. We now hope that new a new operator will take up the reins and continue to make this one of Otley’s proper locals. There is the opportunity also for this to become a community or co-operative pub and we would also be happy to work with any group with an interest, if they contact us”.
So it is a great opportunity for the right owner and Otley Pub Club look forward to working with whoever comes forward to buy the Manor House as a pub. We hope you might be interested.
Having been a thriving pub, the Manor has struggled since the pandemic due to opening much later than other pubs due to the nature of the interior and also because Thwaites beers have limited appeal in Otley, with other pubs offering a wider and more interesting range. It needs a fresh start under a new owner and can go back to being one of the busiest pubs at weekends again. We look forward to working with a new owner to get the Manor back to being a fabulous and thriving Otley pub.
We’d be happy to give you further thoughts if you are at all interested. If you aren’t, then please do feel free to pass this letter on to any good pub operators you think might be!