Drinkers and food lovers are worried for the future of a much-loved Nottingham pub which has been put up for sale. The Hand & Heart, which has been closed for eight months, has gone on the market for £695,000.
The independently-owned pub had already reduced its opening times to four days a week before closing down in July 2022. Trade had been sporadic during the pandemic in 2020 and the uphill struggle continued into 2021 when lockdowns were lifted.
The historic pub, which is sunk deep into sandstone caves, dates back to at least the 1860s when the caves were used to store beer. The cellars were also used as an air raid shelter.
The Hand & Heart pub was almost derelict when it was bought by Dawn Underdown in 2008 and she gave it a new lease of life. The pub became renowned for its "legendary" Sunday roasts and home-cooked food served in the cave restaurant, its real ales and wide range of whisky. As well as cave dining, it boasted a piano snug and a garden room conservatory.
Steve Westby, chairman of Nottingham's Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said: "It's one of Nottingham's iconic pubs and it's so important that it continues as a pub. At the moment it's standing unused which is really disappointing.
"On the other hand there is a fear that another use may be found for it that's housing or something else and then we lose such a fabulous pub - that's got to be a concern. It's only got a frontage as it backs into caves. Surely Nottingham can't afford to loose something like that."
Hilary Silvester, executive chair of the Nottingham Civic Society, said: "The Civic Society are very sorry it's closed. This pub is particularly unusual with its cave. Caves are quite a feature of Nottingham. If they ever stopped access to that cave it would be a loss to the visitors and residents of Nottingham."
Ian Wells, vice-chair of the group which is dedicated to caring for the city's heritage, hopes it will remain a pub. He said: "It was my local ten years ago when I worked in town - it had very good beers. It's a very characterful building and has a lot of history.
"It has a very nice interior and is very attractive. The cave at the back is such a feature. Hopefully it will carry on as a pub We'd be very sorry to lose it. There's a great loss of drinking houses."
Marcus Darwent, a fan of the Hand & Heart and author of the Nottingham Food Blog, said: "I hope that someone can bring life back into the pub. It is one of the most unique pubs in the city. We loved dining in the rooms carved out of the sandstone especially on their famous Sunday roasts."
In 2020 during the pandemic the pub closed for a revamp and improvements to the access. But there were a number of obstacles, including a flood which put the kitchen out of action.
The pub reopened for a brief spell in September 2020 but then closed again as Nottingham when into lockdown a few weeks later. There were more closures in 2021 due to staff shortages but even when it was open drinkers said it appeared closed to passers-by due to the lack of outside lighting. There was another closure a week before Christmas 2021, after a "tough year", with staff having to isolate and numerous bookings cancelled due to Covid.
Things appeared to be getting back to normal in 2022, although the pub was only open four days a week, from Thursday to Sunday, but the doors closed again in the summer. The last update on Facebook was on July 9 said: "Sorry we are currently closed and do not yet have a reopening date."
The pub is the oldest on the stretch of Derby Road linking Maid Marian Way to Canning Circus. The road is also home to Irish bar Raglan Road and more recent arrivals micro pub Mist Rolling Inn and Whistle and Flute, converted from a former menswear shop.
The building was originally a Georgian house with stables to the back and a cave below. The beers were brewed in the converted stables and dropped through a hole carved out of the cave ceiling of for storage. Soon after, the Victorian shop front was added and it started to sell beer as public house.
It stopped brewing its own beers in 1933. By 1949 it was part of the Bradley's estate after which became a Shipstone's pub until the mid-1990s.
The pub was closed for four years until Ms Underdown and her family renovated it, removing all the "sins of the 80s" and sourcing reclaimed antique furnishings to restore the pub to its former glory. Over the next few years a Victorian dining room with a real wood fire and a sheltered, green, smoking terrace were added.
Nottinghamshire Live has tried to contact Ms Underdown for comment. PR and communications specialist for Visit Nottinghamshire, Jack Woolley, said: "Nottingham is well known for its unique subterranean caves which twist and turn under the city’s streets. It’s a great tourism attraction and many of our hospitality venues and attractions in the city use this fascinating natural asset.
“Hand & Heart is one of those venues which utilised Nottingham’s caves which made it an incredibly unique venue. It’s a building which is rich in history and unmistakably Nottingham. We’re sure the site will be back up and running again soon.”
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