A popular pub in York has a new owner.
The House Of Trembling Madness, run by Ian Loftus since he created it on Lendal in 2018, has just changed hands.
Fabler Bars – which runs the Thors pop-ups along with Dusk on New Street – has bought the five-storey craft beer haven from Ian.
Ian will continue running the original Trembling Madness on Stonegate, as well as his beer distribution business.
Original Fabler directors Amanda and Richard Monaghan have teamed up with new director Andrew Lowson, best known as the head of the York BID, for the deal.
They have been working on securing the pub for a year, ever since they heard Ian might want to move on.
Amanda said: “We absolutely couldn’t resist because we just adore the brand. We love the name, we love Ian’s interiors, he’s got such an eye – little things like the taxidermy room upstairs.
“It’s always been a favourite haunt of ours. And equally, he wanted it to go to somebody that he trusted and would like to work with, and was local as well. He didn’t want it to be going to a big brewery where crazy changes might happen.”
All the staff are being retained as part of the deal, and Amanda said they wanted to work with the existing team and use their expertise to help develop the bar further.
“I’d love to use the function rooms a bit more and do some different dinners and events there,” Amanda told YorkMix.
“And beer launches, craft brewery takeovers. We certainly won’t be changing the interior or the fact that its a craft beer bar.”
Heritage property group the York Conservation Trust owns 14 Lendal, the former Georgian townhouse built in around 1714 which is home to The House Of Trembling Madness.
Before the building became a pub, it was home to leather shop Robson And Cooper from 1911 till 2015.
Amanda said the trust was very helpful when they were discussing taking on the bar.
‘York is full of life’
Fabler & Co is bringing back two Thors pop-up bars in York again this summer, after giving Dusk a major upgrade last year.
So are they on the hunt for more York pubs? “I’d be lying if I told you that there was a really strategic plan,” Amanda said.
“It was just a super lovely opportunity came up. But we absolutely love being in the hospitality world. And we all live in York – we live and breathe it here.
“We’ll never forget Thors and our roots in terms of the pop up bars. But I suppose as we get older and develop professionally, it’s really nice to have a bricks and mortar offer as well.”
York is a special place for hospitality, she said. “Obviously, we work in lots of different cities. But York seems to be thriving, because it’s just such a beautiful destination for people to visit.
“York is full of life, and that’s what makes it super special.
“And as much as people think new bars are popping up, they’re not. So if you want to own a bar in York, you kind of have to take over one that’s already there.
“It’s not easy out there for hospitality. You’ve just got to try really hard and be good at what you do to make it work.”