The Bulldog is on sale for a cushty £1.1 million

After nearly 20 years of ownership, Dean Holmes, owner of The Bulldog in St. James’s Street, has put the popular gay pub up for sale.  

It has two floors for 160 customers, comes with a three bedroom flat, and the asking price for the venue freehold is £1.1 million.

The sale follows a licencing dispute in 2015 which landlord, Mr Holmes, claims has negatively affected his business and profits, and put him under a great deal of stress.

Last year, Sussex police called for the licence for the venue to be revoked after detailing 48 incidents in the span of a year, including underage drinking, drug use, fights, and sexual assaults. The venue managed to retain the licence by closing early at 1am for a month in September 2015, and every weekday thereon. They also had to install a number of other security measures including bouncers, breathalysers, and CCTV in toilets.

The venue is the oldest gay pub in Brighton, and as such is a historical part of Brighton’s gay village. Speaking to The Argus, Mr Holmes said:  “I deeply regret that I have had to put my business up for sale after running a highly successful gay business for nearly 20 years.

“The outcome of the recent police review has severely damaged my reputation and respect in the gay community.

“I suffered months of bad press and damaged my own reputation in a desperate attempt to save my threatened licence.

“I imposed extremely strict methods on my regular customers upsetting so many who used to enjoy the Bulldog’s facilities on a daily and weekly basis.

“I am confident that under new ownership the Bulldog can regain respect from its lost customers and thrive again as one of the longest running gay bars in the UK.”