If you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve looked around a potential new house, only to be disappointed that it doesn’t have a pub in the cellar hidden behind a secret door, then look no further.
This house, currently for sale with Hollands Smith on Castle Road, has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and The Crab – an underground pub – all for £575,000.
The owners moved to Bedford from a one-bedroom flat in London and wanted to make the most of every inch of space in their new home.
“The cellar in the house on Castle Road is one-third of the size of our entire London flat,” said the owner.
“We wanted to create a great excuse for family and friends to visit.
“The pub is a throwback to those I grew up going to as a kid in the 90’s when I went to watch my Dad’s pub football teams play Sunday league football in and around Mansfield.”
(video from Home Junkie)
With beers from the Electric Bear Brewery in Bath and a selection from Beerfly – ‘to keep things local’ – the Crab Arms is accessed via a secret doorway, disguised as a bookshelf.
The pub has a piano, dartboard and plenty of seating for when lockdown restrictions are eased.
The owners have said that space to build The Crab Arms 2.0 is definitely a requirement for their next move.
Rob Smith, of property agents Hollands Smith, said that they were seeing more and more home improvements based around entertaining.
“This is a great example of this – first it was studies and home offices, then outdoor kitchens, pizza ovens and covered pergolas….. now it’s home pubs,” he told the Bedford Independent.
“There have been a few quirky properties over the years including one with a miniature railway and another with an air-raid shelter in the gardens.
“We’ve also sold a property with a fresco on the side of the Victorian house – but the Crab Arms is certainly the most unique.”
