Empty Sunderland city centre pub taken over by local hospitality firm - here's what's in store

Most recently operating as Bobby’s, the bar in Low Row has had a number of guises over the years, including Establishment, but is probably best known for its time as Baroque.

Now, the bar has been bought by Theatre Leisure Ltd who are transforming it into The Vaultyard.

It’s the fourth acquisition for the team in this stretch of pubs, after the success of The Rabbit and Street Bar, which is reopening on May 9 after a major flood, as well as its upstairs champagne bar, Victoria’s Loft.

City businessman Lee Robson, director at Theatre Leisure, said he’s long had his eye on the pub, which closed as Bobby’s last year, and has bought the site with a view to putting it back on the map.

Work is being done by a team of local contractors to honour the heritage of the pub, which originally opened as a church hall in the early 1900s.

Many of its Edwardian features are still intact and the team is making the most of them, unblocking original period windows that had been covered up for decades, and also utilising some of the old Baroque woodwork.

Meanwhile, Thoburn’s garden centre will be decorating the site with foliage inside and out.

The Vaultyard name doffs its cap to the crypt that lays beneath the pub of nine lead lined burial vaults, with the yard referencing the beer garden at the back of the pub, which the new owners are refurbing with blue cobbles and planning on putting to good use.

“I have always loved this building,” said Lee. “It has so much history which we’ll be tapping into. We are Sunderland lads, and we’re putting a good bit of money into this, but we want this pub to reach its full potential again. It’s been so many things over the years, but everyone talks about it being Baroque.

“Back then it was the first £1million bar fit out in Sunderland.”

All going to plan, the team is hoping to open the pub in time for the second Bank Holiday weekend in May.

The Vaultyard will very much have its own identity, separate to Street Bar, a world sports bar, and The Rabbit which is a popular late night party bar.

“Each of the pubs is different,” said Lee. “With this one, we’ll be doing more acoustic music and live sets. People are really looking for experiences when they go out these days and we want to give people a different experience in each of the bars.”