Bristol's iconic Glassboat restaurant looks to have finally been sold after being vacant for over a year. The boat, marketed with property consultants Burston Cook, was previously under offer before being relisted in January.
In July 2022, Bristol Live reported that the price of the Glassboat had been slashed by around £100,000 after failing to find a buyer. The restaurant was thought to be priced at around £750,000, which included the barge, all company assets, fixtures, fittings and mooring licence, which was listed as being around £11,200 though that was before recent changes announced for harbour fees.
The floating restaurant moored in Welsh Back was first put on the market in early 2022 after its owner of 36 years, Arne Ringner, said: "It's now time to put the dancing shoes on the shelf." Signage outside now states that it is 'sold STC [subject to contract]', though it is not yet clear who the buyer is.
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Most recently, the barge took the guise of the FiSH seafood restaurant and takeaway, open throughout the pandemic but shuttered for several months before being put on the market in the spring. Originally built as a 'dumb barge', the 120ft long and 20ft wide vessel was converted in 1986 by Arne, who owns the Lido restaurant, pool and spa in Clifton, and the Three Brothers burger restaurant further along Welsh Back. After moving to the UK from his native Sweden, he originally planned to create a floating botanical garden on the former barge.
However, Bristol’s planners turned down that idea, so he and his business partner, Magnus Macdonald, decided to open a floating café instead, which quickly became one of Bristol’s most popular restaurants. The Glassboat was the city’s premier fine-dining restaurant from the late 1980s to the 2000s.
The recent sales brochure from Burston Cook described the interior as having two staircases which lead to the lower level, which contains a fully fitted kitchen with an extraction system, walk-in refrigeration, a private dining/function room, a cellar and WC facilities. The boat provides seating over two levels with up to 170 covers and an additional 32 covers on the quayside.
Three gangways lead from Welsh Back to the main floor restaurant and bar area, and at one end of the vessel, there is a serving counter used for takeaway fish and chips.
In 2008, the boat underwent a complete refurbishment, including over-plating the external shell plating to above the present waterline, enabling the ship to float on a new shell plating box. The sales brochure noted that in February 2022, a survey showed minimal wasting of bottom plating and that the hull is in pristine, new-like condition.
As part of the refurb, the boat was also re-plumbed and re-wired. Burston Cook said in the sales brochure that despite being vacant for so long, the barge is ready to trade as a restaurant or could be used for purposes, subject to the relevant consents.
Speaking about the sale of Glassboat, former owner Arne Ringner previously said: "What great times we had onboard the Glassboat since building it in 1985. We have fed everybody, from hungry Bristolians to royalty.
"It's now time to put the dancing shoes on the shelf and spend time teaching grandchildren to ride a bike. Thank you to all guests, friends and loyal staff for all the good times we've had."
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