A POPULAR York pub is all set to reopen after it closed suddenly.

The Last Drop Inn in Colliergate is to reopen next month and Yorkshireman Paul Kemp is returning to the county from Bristol, with the pub set to be the first of a group of pubs the 49-year-old seeks to operate.

Paul was born and raised in Dewsbury and gained a law degree from the University of Sheffield.

However, he didn’t really fancy a career on law and at a graduate recruitment fair was tempted by Bass Taverns “and I never looked back.”

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Paul worked at a couple of their pubs in Leeds, then Sheffield, before ten years in London, running touristy pubs, including a boat on the Thames.

He formed his own company- Fat Pigeon Ltd- and then moved to Bristol, eventually running four pubs.

But Covid struck and as their leases ended, Paul did not renew them, as such larger venues were not entitled to government support at the time. It left him with just one pub, which he still has today.

However, Paul always wanted to return home to Yorkshire and he knew both York and the Last Drop Inn well.

York Press: Paul outside the once popular pub in Colliergate

After hearing of the difficulties Black Sheep was facing, Paul contacted the administrator to say he wanted the Last Drop.

He told the Press: “It’s a small pub to start with before relocating. It’s a cracking pub, the location right on King Square, next to the Shambles, lots of footfall, and it has a really good reputation as a proper pub.”

Paul picked up the keys this week and now he has to put a new cellar in, give it a lick of paint, and renovate the kitchen, though initially, it will just serve ‘cold cuts’ such as cheeses and in time a few ‘warm things.’

A manager has been appointed for the early December opening, with 4-6 other staffers also about to be taken on. He plans to keep the name, as that I what it is known as.

But he will also ‘de-Black Sheep’ it, replacing signs of the pub’s former ownership, with a mural artist designing frescos of local landmarks such as The Minster and Cliffords Tower.

“I saw similar at another pub, with local landmarks, it makes people realise it’s about York,” he said.

Paul is a fan of Timothy Taylor, which will be served, especially Landlord. There will be no less than 8 cask ales.

There will be TVs for big sport events, plus quizzes aiming to mix the ‘nerds’ with others who don’t always win, plus themed events to create an ‘experience’, plus live music.

He added: “The secret of success is consistency, good staff, location, good beer, good service, a nice clean pub, making a pub inclusive with nobody a stranger, to give people a reason to return. It’s not rocket science.”