Bristol's iconic Glassboat restaurant appears to be back up for sale after previously being under offer at the end of last year. The boat is listed with property consultants Burston Cook and has been empty for over a year.
The floating restaurant moored in Welsh Back was put on the market in 2022 after its owner of 36 years, Arne Ringner, said "it's now time to put the dancing shoes on the shelf." 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, his original plan was to create a floating botanical garden on the former barge.
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After Bristol’s planners turned down that idea, he and his business partner, Magnus Macdonald, decided to open a floating café instead, quickly becoming 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 boat has three gangways which lead to the main floor restaurant and bar area. At one end, there is a serving counter used for takeaway fish and chips.
The sales brochure from Burston Cook describes 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 accommodation over two levels with up to 170 covers and an additional 32 covers on the quayside.
Licences for mooring and the pavement are said to be transferred as part of the sale. The current cost of the former is thought to be £11,200 pa.
In the listing, Burston Cook says that the boat is ready to trade as a restaurant or may suit alternative uses subject to consent. It is suggested that the property has a rateable value of £31,250, with £15,593 of rates payable in 2021/2022.
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. According to the sales brochure, a survey has since been undertaken of these works. In February 2022, the survey showed minimal wasting of bottom plating, meaning the hull is in pristine, new-like condition.
The boat was re-plumbed and re-wired as part of the refurbishment works in 2008, meaning it is ready to trade as a restaurant or may suit alternative uses subject to the relevant consents. The sale price was only available on application but was thought to be around £750,000, which included the barge, all company assets, fixtures, fittings and mooring licence (typically £11,200).
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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