New owner reels in Fisherman’s Arms

Borders inn is at the heart of rural village

fisherman-arms-birgham

AN inn at the heart of a rural community in the Scottish Borders has been snapped up in a deal brokered by property firm, Bruce & Co.

The Fisherman’s Arms, located in the village of Birgham near Coldstream, is now in the hands of an experienced industry operator after being closed for over a year.

Said to occupy “a proud presence in the ancient village,” the establishment was purchased over a decade ago by a group of local residents to save it from permanent closure and, at the time of the buyout, the community of Birgham was offered the chance to buy shares in the business.

With the group’s intention to lease the business out a few years down the line, the locals carried out an extensive refurbishment of the property; it was subsequently taken over by the previous vendor whose expertise and development is said to have turned the venue into a “popular community cornerstone.”

Having achieved what he set out to with the business, the former owner put the business up for sale in order to concentrate on other ventures and opportunities.

The inn, which is described as having “greatly benefitted from the vendor’s expert ownership and direction”, attracted a number of viewings from prospective buyers before the successful offer was lodged.

Stephen Croft, lead negotiator at Bruce & Co, who handled the sale of The Fisherman’s Arms, said: “I was happy to achieve a successful sale of this business by introducing a suitable applicant that the vendors were happy to deal with.”