Cat and Fiddle pub has potential for tearoom says brewery

Robinson's Brewery which owns the Cat And Fiddle Pub says it would like to see it become a tearoom.
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The second highest pub in England has been shut since December 2015 but brewery bosses can see it performing well as tearoom rather than a pub.

Meeting with the Advertiser, William Robinson, who is a joint managing director of the Stockport-based brewery which owns the pub on the A537 road between Cheshire and Buxton, said: “I think a tearoom would work up there.

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“It is in a difficult location but one which is favoured by walkers and cyclists so having a pub or somewhere which serves alcohol may not be the best use of the space but a quirky, vintage tearoom would make it a destination venue. People would be able to drive out and take in the views and not have one person who can’t drink.

“I think there is real potential up there for a business like that.”

The pub was built in 1813. It closed in December 2015. As of November 2017, its future as a public house is uncertain, Robinsons Brewery stating in 2016 that it was “closed until further notice”.

Mr Robinson, said: “Nobody ever wants to close a place down and it is a sad moment when you do, but keeping it up and running has to make sense for the business.

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“Many people would sell it but we want it to have a beneficial use to the community.

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“We have had some interested parties since it closed in 2015 but we need to be sure of their business plans and know that the project they are putting forward is robust enough to succeed.

The Cat and Fiddle Inn is the second-highest inn or public house in England at 1,689 feet or 515m - the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire being the highest.

Mr Robinson said: “We understand pubs are part of the community, but there has been a change in the market in relation to how people drink.

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“It would be arrogant of us and ignorant of the industry not to notice these changes which is why I think a tearoom would work perfectly at the Cat and Fiddle site.”

The lease of the pub is being advertised with Meller Speakman and a company spokesman said: “This is an excellent opportunity to lease a well-known, iconic building, which has superb potential as a café, restaurant, tourist accommodation or other tourist attraction and does have the potential other uses.”

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