A pub and hotel which never reopened after the Covid lockdown has been sold prior to hitting auction again.

The Freemantle, which sits on the corner at the junction between Paynes Road and Park Road, was set to go under the hammer once again in March after first failing to sell in November.

But a buyer has been found for the 10-bedroom building, which has been vacant since closing at the start of the pandemic in 2020, prior to auction.

The Freemantle was given a guide price of £360,000 to £380,000 for the March listing. 

The Echo understands that the building has been purchased for a sum within this guide.

Clive Emson Auctioneers was first listed the hotel in November 2024 with a guide price of £400,000 to £450,000.

After being relisted in February, the auctioneers then slashed the guide price down to between £360,000 and £380,000 for an online auction on March 18.

READ MORE: Former pub and hotel The Freemantle to hit auction again

Mike Marchant, a senior auction appraiser for the auctioneers, said: “This freehold commercial property has 10 bedrooms, with scope and potential for development, subject to planning consents.

“On a corner plot of nearly 0.16 acres, the freehold property hasn’t been traded from for many years and the former saloon bar has been converted to form a one-bedroom dwelling.

“The upper parts have been recently renovated and comprise a two-bedroom unit which would have formally been the manager’s accommodation.”

READ MORE: The Freemantle Hotel to be auctioned in Southampton

Off-road parking is available at the front of the property, which is opposite BP’s Shirley petrol station.

A planning application was last submitted in 2021 to build a single storey extension and raise the height of the existing roof, which Southampton City Council's planning officers said was to "improve the insulation value of building".

The application was conditionally approved.

It is currently unknown what the new owners will use the building formerly known as The Freemantle for.