Cheshire: The Kinderton pub facing closure unless new owner is found

The Kinderton in Middlewich may shut its doors for the final time in September.

Having been up for sale for a year now, the hotel and restaurant will have to close if a buyer doesn’t step up soon.

A post on the venue’s Facebook page read: “We are bitterly disappointed to announce that The Kinderton may close its doors for the final time on Sunday, September 8, if a suitable buyer cannot be found by then.

“We placed the business up for sale 12 months ago with the hope we could find new owners to take up the baton and continue the progress we have made.

“However, the hospitality industry as a whole has, and continues to face a number of challenges which to date means we have not yet been able to secure a sale, we will, of course, continue to explore all options open to us between now and the planned closure date.”

The venue includes a bar, restaurant and a hotel (Image: Christie & Co./Rightmove)

In 2018, a consortium led by Middlewich businessman Shaun Ellison saved The Kinderton from being sold to developers, agreeing a deal to purchase the venue at the last minute.

Shaun only intended to oversee the running of the pub on a short-term basis and so, last year he decided to put the business up for sale.

“Our priority was to save the venue and turn it into a valuable asset which we hope we have done,” he told the Guardian in October 2023.

“We feel now is the right time to look to pass the baton on to new owners who will continue to share our passion and look to further enhance what we have been able to create in a relatively short period of time.”

The Kinderton was saved from being sold to developers. Left to right: Shaun and Karen Ellison, Chris Latham, Jeannette and Colin Thompson (Image: Supplied)

Unfortunately, no buyer has been found so the pub looks set to serve its final pint on September 8.

The Facebook post continued: “This decision has not been at all easy, those who know the background will recall that the business was about to close six years ago, our aim then was to keep it open and make it sustainable to ensure that Middlewich retained one of its popular venues.

“We have thrown our heart and soul into this project over this time to create the venue it has become, but this was never meant to be a long-term project for us.”

It added: “In the meantime, we would like to express our sincere thanks to all our lovely customers over the last six years who have supported us, attended the various events and have become firm friends as a result.

“To our incredible team that made the magic happen, what can we say, in the six years we have been here we have employed more than 250 staff and for a large percentage, The Kinderton being their first job.

"To see them grow and mature into confident young adults has been one of the most enjoyable parts of our journey.

“To Team Kinderton, past and current, a huge thank you as we simply couldn’t have done it without you!”