See anyone you know? A look back at Newtown's Grapes Hotel

IT HAS been five years since the Grapes Hotel closed its doors for the final time.

The pub, situated on Commercial Street in Newtown, has closed and reopened many times over the years though its current hiatus from trading is believed to be the longest.

It is a great pity the historic pub remains closed - particularly as this establishment was one of the oldest inns in the town and offered a link to the woollen industry past as the Newtown Textile Museum next door would testify.

The grade II listed three storey pub situated in a terrace which was once associated with Thomas Powell, one of the chartist reformers of the early 19th century.

Originally the pub comprised of two buildings separated by a tunnel passage, with the left part being the original public house.

The pub was refurbished throughout its history with sofas and wooden seats while a large beer garden at the rear proved popular in the warmer months.

In its final few years the pub was remodelled as a cocktail and shot bar at the expense of real ales but the venture failed to catch on and the pub closed in 2016.

However the pub building still stands and was once home to a thriving pub sports scene, boasting pool, dominoes and darts as well as a successful Sunday League football team.

Hopefully the building is not converted into housing and can once rise from the ashes as a traditional town pub as it served intermittently for centuries.