A well-known, centuries-old former bar in Bolton town centre venue said to be haunted has been put up for auction with a guide price of £32,000.
Number 12 Churchgate is a two-storey, Grade II-listed building adjoining the famous Olde Man and Scythe inn, the town’s oldest pub and the fourth oldest in the UK, dating back to 1251.
The venue is infamous as the place where James 7th Earl of Derby spent his last night before being beheaded at the market cross in October 1651 for his connection with the Bolton Massacre during the Civil War.
The online auction will be held next month by Pugh, and the firm's managing director Paul Thompson said: “This is a rare opportunity for an investor to buy a slice of Bolton history and to create a new incarnation for this fabulous old building that is something of a quirky landmark in the town.
“Unsurprisingly for a property of this age, a programme of restoration work is needed, as the first floor is unstable, but the property is in a great central location and, with some investment, could become a real asset to the community once again.”
Number 12 Churchgate itself was a temperance bar known as Smokey Joe’s in the 19th century, becoming a coffee bar in the 1940s.
In 2007, the 1,150 sq ft property was turned into a jewellery and gift shop and psychic centre, with a line in clairvoyancy, crystal ball and palm readings.
Bidding on 12 Churchgate, and the other lots in Pugh’s online auction, opens on July 20 and closes the following day.
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Pugh said it has sold lots totalling over £45m at its auctions.
