Grape Expectations

STEP back in time: the iconic Grapes Hotel will soon be resurrected. Council leader Jim McMahon is pictured with Guy Barlow in the Independent Quarter

AN iconic town centre Oldham pub is to be resurrected as a bistro bar and high-class hotel.

The Grapes Hotel was a familiar site to generations of Oldhamers in Yorkshire Street, dating back to the early 1800s.

Royton businessman Guy Barlow now has ambitious plans for the building.

Builders are returning the façade to its former glory by stripping back the paintwork to reveal the original tiles. As many original features as possible will be retained.

Guy is also planning to work with college students to give the interior design a real local feel. The top two floors will be transformed into 11 boutique-style hotel rooms.

He said: “We’re excited — you don’t often get the chance to invest in something from the start but the Independent Quarter (the triangle between Yorkshire Street, Clegg Street and Union Street East).”