Grade I-listed former church and long-running restaurant in Northampton up for sale for over half a million pounds
A Grade I-listed former church and long-running restaurant in Northampton has been put up for sale for over half a million pounds – a year after reopening under new ownership.
The Church, on Bridge Street, is being marketed for £550,000. The building, which dates back to 1138, is one of the town’s oldest surviving secular structures and has operated as a restaurant and events venue since the early 2000s.
In June 2024, new owner Charlotte Khalil relaunched the venue with a plan to revitalise the landmark. But just over a year later, the building appears to have quietly closed its doors.
The venue is currently listed as large hospitality space, “suitable for a range of uses”.
In recent months the venue has had scathing reviews from customers who say poor management disrupted major bookings.
One bride claimed her wedding reception was cancelled just 12 weeks before the date. She wrote: “Beware if you have an event booked. The building is being sold and they cancelled my wedding reception yesterday.”
Another guest said a hen do was scrapped with just an hour’s notice in March, despite weeks of trying to confirm payment and booking details.
The review reads: “The bride was in tears… all the guests had to be phoned last minute and told to go elsewhere. Some were travelling from Newcastle, Nottingham, and London.”
Despite this, the venue still holds a 4.2-star Google rating from 339 reviews.
The Church building has a rich history. Originally opened in 1138 as St John’s Hospital, it later became a burial ground, a railway station, and a Catholic church, before being converted into a restaurant in the early 2000s. It is the oldest surviving secular structure in Northampton.
A look on Companies House shows Ms Khalil’s business, New Horizons Events Ltd, is now facing compulsory strike-off – a formal process that begins when a company is no longer trading or fails to meet its legal obligations. A first notice was issued on July 8, 2025.
If it closes permanently, it would join the former Illuminati nightclub and PMT music shop on the same stretch of road in shutting its doors.
The Church has been contacted for comment.