'Once great' pub in Northampton town centre SOLD to new owners and set for major refurbishment

A well-known pub in Northampton town centre is temporarily CLOSED while it undergoes a major refurbishment – and the owners are on the lookout for a new boss.

The Auctioneers in Market Square and Drapery closed down on Sunday, January 29 after its landlords vacated the premises.

The pub wrote on its Facebook page on their closing day: "Sunday will be our last day of trading at The Auctioneers. It is closing for a much-needed refurbishment.”

This newspaper can confirm the pub was bought by Valiant from Marstons two weeks ago.

Luke Carroll, area manager for Valiant, revealed the company’s vision for the site.

He said: “We’re excited. It’s situated perfectly. We typically buy community pubs, and that’s a cracking community pub in the heart of town.

"We’re currently looking for an operator and are currently holding interviews.

"The pub is having major investment and refurbishment planned for it. We want to restore it to what it was, a once great pub.

"The refurbishment may take around 8-12 weeks. Quite a bit is being spent on it. We should hopefully reopen soon, we don’t want to be closed for too long.”

According to Valiant’s website, the company was founded in December 2021 by three ‘industry leaders’, Gerry Carroll, James Croft and Mark McGinty. Having built and operated successful pub companies in the past they are ‘keen to take their winning formula to a new level’.

To enquire about the pub, contact Luke Carroll on 07472226274.

Other pubs in the Market Square area include Shipman’s, which was taken over by the McManus pub company.

The iconic 231-year-old pub reopened last summer after a transformation years in the making.

Also nearby, Debenhams has been DEMOLISHED and will soon be home to hundreds of students flats.

The Market Square is also undergoing an £8.4million refurbishment, which started on February 1 2023, with the council aiming to have those works finished in 18 months’ time. Traders have been temporarily moved down to Commercial Street car park as part of the works.

Click here to read more.