Pendle pub manager has helped to save a landmark Nelson venue from closure

A Nelson pub manager has been praised for helping to save a landmark venue from closure.
Pub manager Stuart Kirkpatrick has workedalongside the award-winning Hawthorn Leisure to revive the Grade II-listedStation Hotel, Hibson Road, Nelson, with a150,000 refurbishment. (s)Pub manager Stuart Kirkpatrick has workedalongside the award-winning Hawthorn Leisure to revive the Grade II-listedStation Hotel, Hibson Road, Nelson, with a150,000 refurbishment. (s)
Pub manager Stuart Kirkpatrick has workedalongside the award-winning Hawthorn Leisure to revive the Grade II-listedStation Hotel, Hibson Road, Nelson, with a150,000 refurbishment. (s)

Stuart Kirkpatrick has worked alongside the award-winning Hawthorn Leisure to revive the Grade II-listed Station Hotel, Hibson Road, Nelson, with a £150,000 refurbishment.

Stuart said: “People in the town come up to me and thank me and Hawthorn Leisure for taking on the Station.

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“They were worried it was going to close, like so many other pubs in Nelson over recent years.”

He bought The Station from Amber Taverns last year and has managed another Hawthorn Leisure pub, The Lord Nelson, for the past 15 years.

“We’re bringing live music back to Nelson, and will host local bands at weekends,” he added.

“That’s created a real buzz in the town, and it means people won’t have to get taxis to go elsewhere at weekends.

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“There are two pubs left in Nelson; The Station and The Lord Nelson. The rest have closed or are no longer pubs. Hawthorn Leisure have done the place a real favour by keeping them both open.”

The Station retains many of its Victorian exterior and interior features but has benefited from new flooring and furniture, and a remodelled bar. It features a pool table, a dart board, screens showing Sky Sports and BT Sport, plus a lounge, coffee station, and small function room.

Stuart said: "We’ve created a cosy, welcoming atmosphere and want to attract people who maybe haven’t been here before – office workers, commuters from the nearby bus station, people from out of town, and those who go at weekends to bars and nightclubs in outlying towns and villages.

“We think the live sports will be a pull for football fans, while people are telling us that they’re really happy live music is coming back to the town."