The future of the historic Dee Hotel in West Kirby is in doubt again after owner JD Wetherspoon launched a fresh search for a buyer.
The pub was previously placed on the market in November 2015, but the proposed sell-off was abandoned in March 2017 following a change of heart by the pub chain.
Now, the company has confirmed to West Kirby Today that they are again seeking to offload the site.
Spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “The pub is up for sale but will continue trading until it is sold.
“For the time being it is business as usual.”
JD Wetherspoon applied for planning permission to turn the upper floors into a 16 bedroom hotel back in 2015, but the scheme was never progressed.
Although minor improvements have been made to the pub in recent years, including the laying of new carpets, it has not undergone a major refurbishment since it was taken over by the chain in 2001.
History of the Dee Hotel
The pub was built around a century ago on the site of a group of houses called Dee Bank. A pair of cottages, known as Yew Tree House and Yew Tree Cottage, stood opposite.
Last privately owned in 1935, the Dee Hotel was sold to Walker & Sons of Warrington, who also bought the next-door stationery shop. The Hotel re-opened a few years later, having been extended and given a Tudor-style façade.
Its name recalls the nearby river, recorded c150AD as Deoua, an ancient British word, meaning ‘goddess’. The Romans called it Deva, and used the name for their legionary fortress at Chester.