A DALES brewery has completed a major refurbishment of its York city centre pub that has been shut since March last year.

Masham-based Black Sheep Brewery acquired The Last Drop Inn as part of its deal for the York Brewery in October 2018.

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The pub in Colliergate has remained closed since the start of the pandemic and Black Sheep took the opportunity to embark on an upgrade.

A new manager, Alex Higginson, has been appointed and five jobs have been created for local people.

The refurbishment includes a new bar, new beer cellar, new flooring and refitted toilets.

In addition, the pub’s staircase, which is a listed feature, has been expertly repaired and renovated.

The new bar is complemented by a keg wall, which has created space for up to eight hand pull beers from Black Sheep’s range.

Charlene Lyons, chief executive of the brewery, said: “We’re really excited to be reopening The Last Drop Inn and welcoming customers back into the pub to enjoy the new surroundings.

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“We were devastated when we were forced to close by the pandemic and even when other pubs began to reopen, we felt, due to it being quite an intimate venue, that it wasn’t suitable to reopen until social distancing rules had been lifted.

“However, like other areas of our business, such as our really successful ecommerce operation we launched during lockdown, we took the opportunity to focus on things we could change and improve, including the refurbishment of this beautiful and popular pub.

“We’re really proud of the upgrade and also recruiting Alex as our new manager who is as passionate about Black Sheep and the pub as we are.

"I am sure customers will share our enthusiasm for the reopening and come and join us for a nice pint of Black Sheep.”