Sympathetic Wetherspoon put pub in Mansfield town centre up for sale

The Widow Frost, which occupies an historic site on Leeming Street, is one of 32 boozers Wetherspoon has placed on the market.

Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for the company, said: “We understand that customers and staff will be disappointed with this.

"But, on occasion, Wetherspoon does put some of its pubs up for sale. This is a commercial decision.

"The Widow Frost will continue to operate as a Wetherspoon outlet until it is sold.”

With the pub’s future uncertain, it is not known if any jobs will be lost. But it is understood that some staff might be offered positions at other locations.

The Widow Frost is one of two Wetherspoon pubs in Mansfield – the other being the Stag And Pheasant on Clumber Street.

It is named after the 18th century landlady of the Masons Arms, which previously stood on the Leeming Street site. She was the first person to run the boozer after it changed its name from the Horse And Jockey in 1780.

Open every day from 8 am to 12 midnight, and to 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays, The Widow Frost has received favourable reviews from customers on Google, averaging a score of four out of five.

It is being offered for sale as a freehold pub within “a period, two-storey terraced property of brick construction”. Its total floor area spans 888 square metres or 9,566 square feet. Its latest available rateable value, assessed in 2017, is £87,250.

The sale of the 32 Wetherspoon pubs follows a warning earlier this year that the company was heading for losses in the region of £30 million after raising staff wages and investing in repairs.

Other outlets within the portfolio include several in the London area, most notably the high-profile Penderel’s Oak in Holborn.

All are in busy town or city locations, including Bank House in Cheltenham, which is popular with racegoers during the Cheltenham Festival.

Wetherspoon has appointed CBRE and Savills to handle the sales.

Paul Breen, of Savills, said: “These venues are configured and fitted to a high standard, which will make them appealing to a broad range of potential buyers.”