Historic West Midlands brewery Davenports is planning to launch another venue in Birmingham city centre after acquiring a vacant former bar site.
The Smethwick-based company has bought out the long lease of 28 Steelhouse Lane which was previously home to The Jekyll & Hyde.
The independent bar announced in August that it would not be reopening after being closed during the 2021 covid lockdowns as its parent company Bitters N' Twisted Venues wanted to focus on food-led venues.
The pub was known for its quirky Victorian setting with retro touches as well as the upstairs gin parlour and Alice in Wonderland themed courtyard which made it popular with both office workers and weekend customers.
Davenports said it was now planning to carry out a refurbishment of the empty unit, including installing a roof terrace, and give it a new name ahead of a planned opening in the summer.
The brewery's finance director Ian Robinson said: "Despite the testing climate, Davenports has gone from strength to strength, adding to its portfolio with considered venues in what we believe to be great locations.
"The Jekyll & Hyde was hugely popular and, while we have our own plans for a new theme and offering, we're delighted to be able to build upon the reputation it had."
Davenports was founded in Birmingham in 1829 and in 1905 fought and won a ‘beer hawking' case in the city's Victoria Law Courts in Corporation Street very close to where its new bar will be after it was accused of selling drinks from an unauthorised location.
Other acquisitions over the last two years have included sites in Stourport, Stratford-upon-Avon and Hednesford with forthcoming deals in Worcester, Tamworth and Stourbridge on the cards, the company said.
