York pub that came back from the dead put up for sale
A pub that was brought back from the dead and turned into an award winner is now up for sale.
The Last Drop Inn on Colliergate is on the market as current leasehold owner Paul Kemp prepares to move on.
He took on the Last Drop when it closed abruptly in 2023 after owners the Black Sheep Brewery were bought out.
Working with wife Shelley and a small team, Paul reopened it in December. And in the two years since, he has seen it gain an entry in in the Good Pub Guide 2026 and be awarded York Camra Pub of the Season last autumn.
It was also shortlisted for Pub Of The Year in the YorkMix Choice Awards.
The Last Drop Inn on Colliergate, York. Photograph: YorkMix
Now though, at aged 51, Paul feels it is time to move on. He has “pretty unbearable” pain from arthritis in his hips, which both need replacing.
“It’s got to the point where health’s more important than the pub,” he said.
Paul and Shelley sold up their business interests in Bristol to come up to York after Shelley’s mother got cancer.
Very sadly she died a couple of months after they made the permanent move. “Life can be pretty cruel, to be quite honest,” Paul said.
So they concentrated on making the Last Drop the best it could be.
“The pub’s done exceptionally better since we’ve been here,” Paul said. “It’s really on the up. Sales over Christmas were well up on the year before.
Paul Kemp at the Last Drop. Photograph: Supplied
“We’re still going to keep cracking on. I want the pub to be as successful as I can make it, you know, before, before we hopefully get to move on.”
He said they were looking for someone to take over who would “put their own energy into it”.
“It’s in a prime tourist location. King’s Square, heart of York, Shambles 100 steps away if that.
“And you get complete freedom because it’s a free-of-tie lease.”
That means you can source your food and drink from anywhere, rather than just a single brewery.
The Last Drop is on the market with Barry Crux. The leasehold for the business is £109,950, or the rent is £45,000 per year.
Paul said he’d loved living in York but would be interested in working in the licensing trade abroad as his next adventure.
