A beloved St Albans venue looks set to find a new purpose after building work began at Samuel Ryder's Exhibition Hall.
Located at 29 Holywell Hill, the venue is named after the entrepreneur and golf promoter who created the Ryder Cup competition between Europe and the United States.
Most recently the building was occupied by Café Rouge, which closed its doors in April 2023 citing "changing customer trends."
The building has been empty since, but construction work began at the site last week -prompting speculation about what would become of the hall.
Estate agents AG&G has been on the hunt for a tenant to take over the site.
Richard Negus, of AG&G, told the Herts Ad that the search had been frustrated by "red tape", noting that the hall's status as a listed building has required them to get council planning permission for the current works being done.
Read More:
• St Albans: Where the prestigious Ryder Cup all began
• St Albans: Café Rouge restaurant closes on Holywell Hill
He revealed that an offer is on the table from an interested party that he is "very happy with" but refused to be drawn on who could be moving in, confirming only that the building is likely to become a restaurant.
Richard said there are "many different forms of menu" that have expressed an interest, meaning that answers could come soon about the future of the iconic building.
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