A grade II listed 18th century building in Sunderland is getting a new lease of life, including the re-creation of a new city centre pub and restaurant.
Left to right: Steven Smith, director of The Bridge Hotel Vaults and Vaux Brewery; Daniel Shannon, director of The Bridge Hotel Vaults and Pop Recs; and Diane Hall, solicitor, Swinburne Maddison, at the newly refurbished Lambton House building on High Street West, Sunderland
Philip and Valerie Gibbs purchased the building as an investment in 2010, as trustees of their family trust, Arrow Commercial.
The trust entered into a lease agreement with Sunderland City Council for the use of the offices in 2014. On surrender of the lease, in 2023, Arrow Commercial embarked on a refurbishment programme to transform the building.
Their planning application sought to change the use of the ground floor from offices back to a public house and restaurant at the rear of the building, with the offices on the upper floors available to rent.
The pub and restaurant will be operated by local Vaux Brewery, in partnership with café, music, and arts venue, Pop Recs.
Building on historic links
Steven Smith, director of Vaux Brewery, said: “The Bridge Hotel Vaults is an historic pub and provides an opportunity for us to build on the strong links the brewery has in Sunderland. Customers will be able to try the full range of Vaux beers alongside other guest beers and a fully stocked bar.
“It gives us a different type of offering to our Monk Street taproom as it’s a traditional, cosy pub in the city centre, and therefore caters to a wider audience.”
“Lambton House is a perfect demonstration of how we operate as a business,” said Philip. “When we saw this building, we were determined to bring it back to a full and useful commercial life and, at the same time, create new jobs, so I was delighted when our plans were approved.
“At Arrow Commercial, our aim is to prioritise development projects that will help local economies grow. Using our expertise in commercial property, we help create new jobs and opportunities for people in both the private and public sectors.”
Diane Hall, associate solicitor in Durham legal firm Swinburne Maddison’s commercial property team, was involved in the legal work, including the completion of the first floor office lease to a local charity, a lease of the second and third floor offices to a London-based training academy, and the preparation of two ground floor leases to hospitality companies.
She said: “Given the age of the building, which dates back to 1797 when it was built as a house for the Lambton family, this has been a particularly interesting project to work on. With a portfolio that includes a range of other local properties and business interests, I hope I will be able to provide legal advice and support to Arrow Commercial on similar instructions in the future.”
Lambton House was built in 1797 as a house for the Lambton family. The building then became a pub in 1820, according to English Heritage, and continued as a bar until the late 1990s, when it was known as the Bridge Hotel. It had had various uses since.
It was believed to have been used by Charles Dickens when he was appearing at the Lyceum Theatre, in Sunderland.
