The Marquess of Granby

One of our most imposing public houses has been the Marquess of Granby in Abbey Road, formerly Star Lane, with a red brick corner frontage built in a similar style to many other buildings of the period in the town.

The inn was named after a distinguished soldier, John Manners, Marquis of Granby (1721-1770), who during the Seven Years' War, as Colonel of the Blues, headed a cavalry charge against the French at the Battle of Warburg but his wig blew off during the whirlwind gallop and his bald pate, glistening in the sun, became a guiding light for his men, an episode which has given the language the saying: "Going for it bald-headed".

After his military campaigns, he set up his senior non-commissioned officers who had been disabled in action as innkeepers which largely accounts for the large number of hostelries throughout the country that bear his name.

It was built during the late 19th century to replace an earlier inn on the site dating from the 18th century and became one of the busiest public houses in the town. But in April 2011, the last landlord lost his licence when it was found that alcohol was being served after hours and after concerns were expressed by both Lincolnshire Police and South Kesteven District Council, the owners, Enterprise Inns of Solihull, decided not to reopen and the freehold property was put up for sale for £185,000.

It was sold at auction September that year to Mrs Claire Saunders, owner of Renu which opened in West Street, Bourne, in 2006, who announced plans to turn the building into a beauty salon and fitness studio. She told The Local newspaper (7th October 2011) that this would involve a great deal of conversion work and the relocation of her present business.

She added: "It was too good an opportunity to miss. I always wanted to offer a wellness retreat and there will be more opportunity in a building like this because of the space. We hope to turn it into a bespoke building which will also help smarten up that area in Abbey Road as the empty public house looks quite unkempt at the moment. The layout lends itself to what we are looking for and it also has accessible parking. All of my staff and customers are really excited about the plans.

"Our ladies-only gym will be considerably bigger and we also have plans for a changing room while the fitness studio will be larger and there will be a quiet treatment room area. There will also be a dedicated floor for hair and we are hoping to expand our product range."

Plans were approved by South Kesteven District Council in 2011 and conversion work began the following year when it was carried out mainly by family and friends. The salon finally opened in the summer of 2013 offering health and fitness sessions and a wide variety of beauty treatments, manicures, pedicures, tanning, waxing, massage and dermatological treatments.

PHOTO ALBUM

The public house before and after restoration.

REVISED JUNE 2014

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