The owners of Newcastle pub The Cooperage have vowed to reopen the historic Quayside building in an “ambitious and exciting scheme”, 10 years after it closed its doors.
The 15th Century Cooperage has the most complete medieval timber-frame building in Newcastle and was a regular haunt for Quayside drinkers in the 1980s and 1990s, but shut its doors to the public in 2009.
Historic England last year placed the prominent pub – the subject of a petition to save the building – on its list of at-risk historic buildings, citing concerns over broken drainpipes and a lack of upkeep.
Last week a fresh campaign to save the Grade II listed property was set in motion by the Save the Cooperage group, which accrued more than 18,000 signatures and brought in several hundred pounds from the community in a restoration fund.
Now, however, the building’s owner Apartment Group – which bought the building in 2010 – has hit back at claims the building has been ‘left to rot’, detailing how it has invested in keeping the building structurally sound.
The firm’s new chief operations officer Debrah Dhugga also revealed the group – owners of As You Like It, House of Smith and Florita’s – is working on plans to develop the site so it can “once again welcome residents and visitors”.
Mrs Dhugga said: “The Cooperage is without a doubt one of the most charming and architecturally significant buildings in the city – and we welcome this opportunity to update you on its condition.
“The Apartment Group has considerable experience in working with listed buildings, and has spent more than £10m in recent years taking abandoned, neglected buildings and sensitively restoring them into award winning ventures - saving buildings and creating considerable employment.
“However, The Cooperage project is taking longer than most projects due to its historical significance and challenging location.
“When we acquired The Cooperage site it was in a state of considerable disrepair, with holes in the roof, burst water pipes, broken windows and derelict guttering just the start of the problem. We rectified all these issues immediately, both in the interests of protecting this architecturally and historically important building, and to make it secure.
“We reopened the building to the public as a pub with live music, yet despite the many campaigns to see this iconic venue trading again, the support wasn’t there and with the decline in footfall to this part of the Quayside area, it became economically unviable and was forced to close.
“As with our other listed buildings, we are in contact with Newcastle City Council, and the council’s head of conservation and deputy director of planning recently paid a visit to The Cooperage where both declared the building safe and water tight. They were also extremely pleased to learn that the building is continually inspected and assessed on a weekly basis, as this enables even the smallest deterioration to be dealt with instantly.
“Far from abandoning this much-loved building, The Apartment Group is working with a number of agencies and experts to ensure that The Cooperage remains structurally sound and safe, but also to develop an exciting and ambitious scheme so that it can once again welcome residents and visitors to the city.”
The Cooperage started life as a 15th-century merchant’s house which became a barrel-maker’s shop and a grocer before becoming a pub in 1974.
The campaign group set up to save the building has mooted the idea of buying it or asking Newcastle City Council to implement a Compulsory Purchase Order, but has also said it would support Apartment Group if it was able to re-open the building.
A council spokesman confirmed the conservation team is happy the building is watertight but is encouraging more conditional surveys to be done, particularly for dry rot.
