Historic docklands pub put up for sale
WALKING into the Waterloo Hotel is like stepping into a carefully preserved time capsule.
Tucked away in a now quiet corner of Newport next to its famous Transport Bridge, it is hard to get a sense of the scale of activity that used to surround the pub.
For a brief period in the 19th century, Newport’s Alexandra Dock was the world’s largest, and dockers, seamen and merchants would constantly swarm the Waterloo.
At that time it is sometimes said the pub sold more alcohol than any other pub in the world.
Inside the Grade-II listed building today you can find the pub’s perfectly preserved ornate bar with an antique till sat on top of it.
Advertisements for Woodbines Cigarettes, Haig & Haig Scotch Whiskey, and Bass Ale adorn the walls, with stained glass windows sheltering visitors from goings on in the street.
For the last 14 years, the pub has been run as a boutique hotel and restaurant by restaurateur Bob Evans. Bob, who previously ran the The Village Green in Trelleck and Bob’s in Monmouth, saved the building from falling to rack and ruin when he bought it almost 15 years ago.
But now he has put the Waterloo Hotel & Bistro, which was built in 1870, on the market.
“I’m 66 so I’m retiring,” Bob said. “The manageress is not very well so I have decided to put it on the market to sell.
“I have been in it 15 years and it is 24/7. We did the work but now it is time to move on.
“I have got better things to do with what little life I have left.”
When Bob bought the building he says it was a being used as a “doss house”.
He said there were a number of tenants sharing the upstairs space, while the building’s unique round tower was crumbling.
But Bob saw the potential and spent more than a million pounds restoring the site to its former glory.
He turned the upstairs into a 21-bedroom hotel, and the restaurant has been a Newport favourite since it opened.
The business as well as the building are all on offer.
“I’m selling it as a going concern,” Bob said. “But if someone wants to make it into flats they can.
“It’s only been on the market a couple of months and I’ve had quite a few people looking at it.
“I have a couple who are very interested in it.”
Christie & Co are offering the freehold interest in the Waterloo Hotel & Bistro at an asking price of £795,000.
Senior business agent Corrina Jones said: “This is a great opportunity for either a first-time buyer or experienced operator to acquire this beautiful period public house in Newport.”