The Spread Eagle Pub on Wellingborough Road will lock its doors for the final time tonight (Monday, January 27).
After five years as the popular late-Victorian-style pub’s landlady, Maria Carr said a sorrowful goodbye.
Maria said in an emotional Facebook message over the weekend that she felt it was time to step aside following the pub’s recent sale.
She wrote: “I have been the proud landlady of the Spread Eagle Pub for the last five years, and on Monday evening, our pub will close its doors for the last time. As many of you know, our building was recently sold, and I decided it was time to depart.
“I’d like to thank every single employee and everyone else who helped make our pub a success. Without you, I could not have done it. Thank you to everyone who came through our doors and helped create some incredible memories. I’ll miss the bar community. Please keep up the good work, football and pool teams. “Take care of everyone, Maria.”
One client commented, “You will all be missed. I’ve had many great moments as a customer since the mid-1990s. I wish everyone of the crew the best of luck with their future endeavors.”
Maria confirmed to punters on Facebook that the pub had been sold and that the staff had been transferred.
The tavern has been for sale for quite some time, with a guide price of £375,000.
According to the sales advertisement, Wells Brewery owns the property, which is now under a tied tenancy agreement that will expire in October 2025.
Wells’ website indicates that it is looking for a new operator. According to the website, the Spread Eagle would fit owners who are committed to providing excellent hospitality, want to engage with their local community, improve the pub’s food offering, and build on its already strong reputation for live music and entertainment. Marketing expertise is required to promote this event programme, as is a desire to maintain the pub’s long-standing high service standards.”
The facility includes a beer garden with seating for around 30 visitors, as well as a garage and parking space. The first level provides ample living space, including a large living area, kitchen, bathroom, four bedrooms, and a storeroom. The bottom floor houses an open-plan bar, games room, dining area, and commercial kitchen, as well as customer restrooms and a boiler room.
Wells has been contacted for more comments.
Local historian Dave Knibb, author of ‘Last Orders: A History and Directory of Northampton Pubs’, posted a brief description of the bar on his Facebook page, Northampton pubs from the past.
He wrote: “The Spread Eagle, one of the ‘pub crawl’ stops on the ‘Welly’ road, dates back to roughly 1850. A very ordinary place, with a mix of clubs and societies and little in the way of lock-ins and fights, but nothing awful enough to hit the news. The Spread Eagle closed in 1971 and served as the headquarters for the Men’s Own Rugby Club before reopening as a tavern in 1982.
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