Drinkers in Fareham will soon wave goodbye to a beloved Wetherspoons pub as a new buyer has been secured for the venue.

In December of 2023, the Lord Arthur Lee in Fareham became the latest pub that boozer chain, Wetherspoons, decided to put up for sale.

Located on West Street in Fareham town centre, the 9,129 square foot pub was previously a Co-op store.

This follows a trend of Wetherspoon pub closures across the UK in recent years with the Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis in Ocean Village, Southampton, now reopened under new ownership as The King Canute.

The Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis was one of 39 JD Wetherspoon pubs put up for sale in 2022.

Fareham’s most well known Wetherspoons was named after the former MP for Fareham.

Born in 1868, Arthur Hamilton Lee was the first Viscount Lee of Fareham and elected as MP for the Hampshire town in the 1900 general election.

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When it was first put on sale in December, the pub was marketed to potential buyers at a cost of £400,000 by estate agent Savills.

With the future of the iconic Fareham pub left hanging in the balance last year, Wetherspoons has confirmed to the Echo that the Lord Arthur Lee has been sold to another pub company.

The pub chain has also said that staff will not be made redundant and will be offered opportunities at other Wetherspoons venues across Hampshire.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “The Lord Fareham will continue to trade as a Wetherspoon pub until and including Sunday, April 28.

“We appreciate the loyalty of our staff and customers over the years.

“The sale of the pub to the new owners will complete on May 3.

“There will be no redundancies. Staff will have the option to stay with the new owners or with Wetherspoon, to work at the company’s other pubs in the region.”