The Fountain, St Thomas Street, Wells, Somerset

The Fountain Inn is an extremely impressive and deceptively spacious Grade II listed high turnover food led public house, which is presented to a high standard throughout. The Fountain Inn is a well-established and this popular and extremely well-regarded town centre public house and restaurant provides a superior trading environment and is fitted with high-quality fixtures, fittings and trade inventory. The property boasts spacious family sized three-bedroom owner’s accommodation, and also has its own car park, which provides an additional lucrative income. The business briefly comprises: - Main Bar & Dining Areas (34+), First Floor Restaurant (36+), First Floor Lounge/Function Room/Additional Restaurant (26+), fully fitted Commercial Catering Kitchen with back up facilities, spacious and superior Owner’s Accommodation with 3 Double Bedrooms, spacious Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen and a Bathroom. Externally, the property benefits from a Customer Car Park for around 18 vehicles which also operates as a pay and display and generates a lucrative income. There is also a Customer Seating Terrace (8+). The Fountain Inn is undoubtedly a very special place to live and work, and a viewing is strongly recommended in order to fully appreciate the quality and high standards inherent throughout all aspects of this profitable high turnover business.

SITUATION
The Fountain Inn occupies a prominent roadside trading position, with its own carpark opposite, just a short walk from the Cathedral and Bishops Palace. Wells is the smallest Cathedral city in England and offers all the usual amenities that you would expect including banks, doctors’ surgeries, dentist, a selection of primary schools and the excellent Blue School and Wells Cathedral School. At the very heart of the city is the stunning mediaeval Cathedral with its Chapter House and adjacent Vicars’ Close: the oldest street of houses in Europe still used for the purpose for which they were built. The Bishop of Bath & Wells still lives in the adjacent Bishop’s Palace, the finest of its type in England with its spectacular moat and gardens. Wells is fast becoming the South West’s go-to place for festivals with its annual food, literary, contemporary art, garden, comedy and theatre festivals. Wells is situated on the slopes of the Mendip Hills and attracts large numbers of visitors and tourists all year round, and there is also easy access to the nearby attractions which include Cheddar Gorge (9 miles), Glastonbury (6 miles), Wookey Hole (2 miles) and the larger cities of Bristol and Bath (21 miles).

INTERNAL DETAILS
Customer entrance doors to the front leading into the Main Bar & Dining Area, an extremely attractive and well-presented character trading area with stripped wooden flooring, part exposed stone and part wood panelled walls, feature fireplace (disused), feature lighting, range of freestanding wooden tables, chairs, sofas, window and banquette seating for 24+ customers. Timber fronted and topped Bar Servery with tiled flooring, fitted with a range of back bar fittings and display shelving with 2 double glass fronted bottle fridges, EPOS cash register with printer link to the kitchen, commercial coffee machine, coffee grinder, and a stainless-steel sink unit. Dining Room another character room with stripped wooden flooring, exposed ceiling timbers, feature fireplace (disused) feature lighting freestanding wooden tables, chairs and comfortable seating for 10 customers. Commercial Catering Kitchen with part non-slip and part tiled flooring and tiled walls, equipped with a comprehensive range of commercial catering equipment to include:- extractor system with stainless steel canopy over, 6 burner gas range, chargrill, eye level grill, combi oven, 2 twin table top deep fat fryers, stainless-steel workbenches with shelving below, 2 commercial microwave ovens, 3 door commercial counter fridge unit, under counter fridge, deep bowl stainless-steel sink, stainless-steel racked shelving, stainless-steel shelving, commercial dishwasher, 2 commercial upright fridges, warming cabinet, warming lamps, worksurfaces with inset stainless-steel sink, stainless-steel wall cabinet, and a door to the rear. Beer Cellar temperature controlled on the ground floor with glass fronted upright fridge, glasswasher, shelving and a door to the rear. Dry Goods Store with racked shelving units. Utility Area with washing machine and tumble dryer. Covered Store Area with 3 chest freezers. Rear Service Yard Area. First-Floor Restaurant again a well-presented character room with carpeted flooring, feature fireplace (disused), feature lighting and freestanding wooden tables, chairs and banquette seating for 36+ customers. Ladies and Gents WCs. Lounge/Function Room/Additional Restaurant a versatile character multipurpose room used for meetings and private parties with carpeted flooring, part exposed stone walls, feature lighting and freestanding wooden tables, chairs and sofas and armchairs comfortably seating 26+ customers. Customer Terrace on the first floor with alfresco seating for 8+ customers.

OWNER’S ACCOMMODATION
Situated on the second floor is the impressive and spacious family sized Owner’s Accommodation which provides superior living accommodation and briefly comprises: - Lounge with dual aspect to the front. Bedroom 1 a good-sized double room with aspect to the front and a sink. Bathroom with a white suite and a shower over the bath. Bedroom 2 a small double room with aspect to the side. Bedroom 3 a small double room with aspect to the side. Dining Room with aspect to the side. Kitchen with base and wall mounted kitchen cupboards, sink unit and aspect to the rear.

CAR PARK
The pub has its own 18 space Car Park on the opposite side of the road. The current owner has introduced pay and display parking (customers excluded), and the car park is popular with visitors to Wells, given its proximity to the cathedral and city centre. This produces a lucrative income stream.

THE BUSINESS
The Fountain is a stylish and welcoming food led pub, which is popular, well established and extremely well presented. After 12 successful years, the current owner is looking to retire, and the business provides an exceptional trading environment equipped with high-quality fixtures, fittings and trade inventory. The business is renowned for its quality homemade fresh food, offering both pub classics and fine dining dishes on the menu. With strong annual sales, The Fountain is supported by a loyal customer base, as well as visitors and tourists travelling to the area. The business hosts meetings and private parties/functions, with tremendous opportunity to build on this trade. There is also a lucrative income generated by the carpark, from visitors to the city centre. The business has a 5-star food hygiene rating and has a website which provides further background information. The business has also received numerous favourable reviews on Google and Tripadvisor and has been awarded a Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Award. The sale of The Fountain represents an excellent opportunity to purchase an exceptionally well presented and well-regarded high turnover town centre pub and restaurant in a highly desirable area with impressive living accommodation and excellent levels of trade and profits. An internal inspection is essential in order to fully appreciate all that this exceptional and superior business opportunity has to offer.

OPENING HOURS
The current owner has deliberately restricted the opening hours to just 24 trading hours per week, in order to suit her lifestyle requirements. The opening hours are 5.30pm until 10pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, midday until 3.00pm and 5.30pm until 10pm on Saturday and midday until 3pm on Sunday. The business is closed on Monday and Wednesday.

STAFFING
The business is run by our client assisted by her daughter and 2 full time and up to 9 part-time members of staff.

TRADING INFORMATION
Accounts for the year ending 31st March 2025 show sales of £410,875 excluding VAT with a gross profit of 68.8%. We are advised that the approximate split of trade is 70% food, 30% wet sales. Further financial information for this profitable business is available to interested parties after a formal viewing appointment.

POTENTIAL
The Fountain is an extremely well regarded and popular destination pub and restaurant which still offers further potential for incoming operators to develop all aspects of the trade and to develop a trading style to suit their own personal requirements. Undoubtedly there are opportunities to increase the current trading hours, and to build upon the solid levels of trade and reputation which are already established.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE
C – 54.

BUSINESS RATES
2026 List: Rateable Value £16,100 for the pub and £5,100 for the car park. Please note this is not the rates payable. Contact us for further details.
SERVICES
All mains services are connected.

TENURE
The Fountain is available by way of an assignment of the existing 20 year lease with just under 10 years remaining. The current rent is £35,000 plus VAT per annum, and the next rent review is in 2031. The landlord is Punch Pub Co and there is a tie for ale, lager, cider and minerals. The business is free of tie for a guest ale, wines and spirits. The lease has repairing obligations excluding the structure, the roof and the electrics which are the landlord’s responsibility.