The Plough Inn

Exciting leasehold opportunity within Scotland’s  National Book Town, Wigtown. Charming recently refurbished bar, restaurant with 4 en-suite letting rooms and 3-bedroom holiday let apartment. Refurbished in March 2022 launched in September 2021. Reluctant sale of lease after highly promising early trading. Suit chef, entrepreneur, or family. Rent: £3,000 pa.

Situated on South Main Street, the charming Plough Inn sits in the historic town of Wigtown within the region of Dumfries & Galloway. Set east of the towns of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart, Wigtown which has a population of around 1000 is known as Scotland’s National Book Town. Officially designated as Scotland’s Book Town in 1998, Wigtown is known as a haven for book lovers and tourists with a wide range of book related businesses throughout the town. With a highly popular festival which runs each year from the last week in September to early October, the town and surrounding businesses benefit greatly from the terrific uplift in visitor numbers to the area.

The area attracts a wide range of business, from the annual literary festival to more traditional tourists & sporting and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy activities such as fishing for trout and salmon on the nearby rivers, to the stalkers & shooters, cyclists, hill walkers & golfers.
The historic Plough Inn, benefits by being comprehensively upgraded in March 2022, operates under the management of our client who currently holds the lease on the property. The wine bar at The Plough Inn opened in September 2021, followed by the restaurant which opened in early November. In addition, though not yet fully opened and traded, the upstairs accommodation offers a three-bed apartment plus four en-suite single guest rooms.

Whilst early trading has been positive since taking over the lease, personal circumstances have resulted in our client reluctantly offering the lease for sale. It should be noted that with the considerable level of investment made by both the landlord and our client, the sale of the lease represents a unique opportunity for an owner operator looking to capitalise on the ever-growing demand for quality restaurant with rooms operations.

With close attention paid to detail and by being sympathetic to the era, the property owners have managed to not only enhance the period property but also add a contemporary twist. The relaxed casual atmosphere that has been created especially within the cosy bar and through to the restaurant area, is noticeable on entering the premises. The tone of the development is perfect for the local Wigton market along with the wider Dumfries & Galloway, which has seen a sizable amount of inward investment over recent years. Detailed renovation information is noted below.

The overall quality achieved throughout the property, coupled with the enviable trading location, arguably makes The Plough inn one of the most exciting food, room & wet sale leasehold opportunities currently available in Dumfries & Galloway. Early viewing is recommended to avoid disappointment.

THE PREMISES & RENOVATION

COMPLETED BUILDING WORKS: Roof. All roof void areas inspected. Timbers and sarking found to be in good condition following previous roof works. New lead valleys installed. Tiles replaced where necessary. New chimney vented spinning cowls installed for fire and wood burner. Vents installed for ensuites’ extraction. Guttering inspected. Installation of upgraded high flow guttering where necessary.

3-bedroom Apartment. All internal walls stripped back to building fabric. Brick and timber inspected. New block work where necessary. Timber lintels were removed where necessary and replaced with concrete. New flooring joists fitted throughout the apartment (engineered timber floor joists). New partition wall formed with c16 4×2 and load bearing 7×2 timber partition walls. External walls fitted with Membrane for moisture and ventilation gaps. 100mm rigid insulation to all external walls. 200mm fibre insulation in all internal walls and ceilings. Pink ½ hour fire board to hallways and fire escape routes. All doors to apartment ½ hour fire doors with intumescent strips and door closers.

New apartment kitchen supplied by Howdens includes an integrated fridge freezer, dishwasher, and washer/dryer. Real oak, Butcher block worktops. Luxury vinyl tiles to the main living area and bathrooms. High-wear carpet to hallways, high pile carpet to bedrooms. Bespoke media unit fabricated. Redecorating to F&B paint codes.

Dining Room. All internal walls stripped back to building fabric. Brick and timber inspected. New block work where necessary. Timber lintels were removed where necessary and replaced with concrete. New partition wall formed with c16 4×2 and load bearing 7×2 timber partition walls. External walls fitted with Membrane for moisture and ventilation gaps. 100mm rigid insulation to all external walls. 200mm fibre insulation in all internal walls and ceilings. Pink ½ hour fire board to hallways and fire escape routes. New ceilings throughout. Log burner chimney swept. All wood panelling sanded back and restrained. Redecorated to F&B paint codes.

Bar area. Section of ceilings removed and reinstated. Wood panelling sanded back and stained. New light fittings supplied by ‘Industrivile’. Coffee station created with water feed and 20amp power supply. Concealed background audio system installed with 4 channel speakers. Chimney swept. Redecorated to F&B paint codes
Hotel Bedrooms. 4 letting rooms and upstairs corridors, walls and ceilings stripped back to building fabric. New drywall installed where necessary and all room ceilings lowered. Moisture barrier and ventilation gaps in all external walls. Timber lintels were replaced with concrete where necessary. 100mm rigid insulation to all exterior walls. Internal partitions and ceilings 200mm glass-wall. All floors fitted with plywood prior to finished floor coverings. Pink ½hr fire board installed in hallways and escape routes.

Bathrooms. Designed to give a modern luxurious feel whilst offering ease of maintenance and longevity within a commercial environment. All shower trays have 4 up stands with Multi Panel shower board fitting over up stands. No joints, no silicone, no leaks. Rain and flex shower heads. Extraction over each shower. PVC matt white ceiling panels. Concealed cistern toilet. Stainless towel rail. Luxury vinyl tile flooring. Basin and toilets are serviced by a bespoke vanity unit with service access.
Beer Cellar. New beer cellar infrastructure installed by ‘Innserve’.

HEATING SYSTEM AND PLUMBING. The system has been designed to give maximum efficiency and reliability. Wigtown is a low water pressure area, so a bulk storage tank and pumping system was specified to ensure consistent water pressure whilst multiple showers are running. All under manufacturers and fitter’s warranty. Boiler shed reinstated with new roof and rewired. Vortex 58/70KW Oil Boiler and flue kit. 260 litre quick recovery light commercial hot water cylinder with fitting and expansion vessel kit. Upgrade cold water supply to all en-suite and new 28mm cold water feed up hallway from pumping station. 1000L cold water storage tanks and twin electric water pumps. This work was done to ensure consistent high-water pressure to bathrooms and is designed to cope with multiple showers running simultaneously. Secondary return pump for instant hot water at outlets. New sealed heating system for 3-bedroom apartment with thermostatic control independent of the rest of the building fed via a plate heat exchanger. System flushed out with a cleaner, an inhibitor added, and magnetic filters fitted for corrosion protection. New heated towel rails and pipe work for all en-suites. All new radiators or refurbished cast iron radiators.

ELECTRIC INSTALLATION SPECIFICATIONS. Electrical Installation Condition Report, Fire Alarm Periodic Inspection & Emergency Lighting Periodic Inspection reports were issued upon completion of the renovation works. Apartment – complete rewire to include emergency lighting in rooms and escape routes and fire alarm system. Hotel Bedrooms – 4 letting rooms – complete rewire to include emergency lighting in rooms and escape routes. Corridors existing system altered where required and new emergency lighting and fire alarms installed. Bar & Dining room – existing wiring altered to suit new layouts, fire alarm and emergency lighting renewed. Commercial Kitchen – New submain & Distribution Board installed in the kitchen to allow for upgrade to 3 phase in future works, complete with new containment to allow access to add further cabling.

Data Infrastructure – Wi Fi infrastructure cabling throughout the building with access points fitted to allow full coverage. Communications node fitted to the upstairs storeroom allowing internet, telephones, and CCTV to be distributed throughout the building.

CCTV system installed covering corridor, bar, beer garden and rear car parking area with provision for additional cameras.

It should be noted that due to the limited time operating the business, our client has pointed out that only limited trading information will be available. Summary of lease terms are as follows: Full repair insurance lease, 5 years, rent £3,000 pa, 2-month deposit due up front, rent paid 1st of each month, property Landlord requires monthly building inspection. TUPE free & No brewery ties. Tenant covers all legal fees.

FIXTURES & FITTINGS: A full inventory will be completed to detail all items available for sale by separate negotiation.