A York pub that has stayed shut from the first lockdown has reopened as a shop.
The Last Drop Inn hasn’t pulled a pint since March.
But this weekend owners the Black Sheep Brewery have reopened the venue as an off licence and gift shop.
Named Ye Olde Black Sheep Bottle Shoppe, it will open next Tuesday (20 October), and stay open till Christmas.
The shop is selling all the Masham brewery’s merch, including chutney, fruit cake, branded items from cheese boards to water bottles, toy sheep, Black Sheep Gin – and of course, all its bottled beers.
The brewery described it as “a pop-up shop for the annual Christmas markets”. Earlier this week, the St Nicholas Fair and market were cancelled over safety concerns, but this is still going ahead.
Former York Brewery pub
Pub regulars said they were glad to see it being brought back into use, but hoped it would reopen as a pub soon.
The Last Drop Inn was the first pub to be opened by York Brewery. It was bought out of administration by Black Sheep shortly before Christmas 2018.
It has since been running the Last Drop, serving a wide variety of cask ales, along with another former York Brewery pub, the Three Legged Mare on High Petergate. It reopened in August.
There is no word yet from Black Sheep about the return of the Last Drop as a pub.
It will open as a bottle shop from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.