Minehead’s iconic harbourside pub, The Old Ship Aground, has been sold by specialist business property adviser Christie & Co to Dorset-based brewer and pub operator Hall and Woodhouse. 

The Grade II listed pub, built in 1911, had become very run down and was no longer trading when it was purchased at auction by Julian and Rachael Abraham 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 three-storey building back to life. They also rebuilt its reputation as a quintessential English pub, with a focus on quality food using honest local ingredients.

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. 

The couple said that Hall and Woodhouse were well placed to build on their successes, taking The Old Ship Aground to new heights.

Founded in Dorset in 1777, Hall and Woodhouse is an independent family company that brews award-winning Badger Ales and runs a collection of 180 pubs and inns across the south of England.

Mark James, property director, 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 and 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: “The Old Ship Aground is an iconic business along the Minehead seafront and we are delighted to have brokered its sale to Hall and Woodhouse.

“We look forward to seeing them secure new tenants for the business and carry out the plans they have install for its future,” he said.

The Old Ship Aground was sold on a freehold basis off a guide price of £895,000.