Yorkshire brewery buys its own pub

One of West Yorkshire's most prominent micro brewers has bought up its first premises, taking ownership of the freehold of a Wakesfield pub from the Scottish and Newcastle Pub Company.

Great Heck Brewing, which was founded in 2008 by Denzil Vallance and Jason Hall, has bought O'Donaghue's pub in the West Yorkshire town for and undisclosed sum. The pub was originally for sale for an asking price of £175,000

Vallance and Hall already have grand designs on the establishment, with their first move being to change the pub's name back to its original of The Bull. They are also planning a full internal refurbishment.

The sale was handled by Christies & Co, at their Leeds office. Nicholas Thomas, of Christies, said the pub had commanded a significant amount of attention – almost entirely from people seeking to maintain the property as a pub.

“O’Donoghue’s attracted a good level of interest with a number of bids submitted," he said.

"Almost all the interest received was for continued public house use with buyers recognising that the present market offers a great opportunity to buy freehold pubs at attractive prices.

The buying of O’Donoghue’s will give the Great Heck Brewing Company a perfect opportunity to showcase its range beers to a wider audience.