A prominent bar that has been a key feature of Banbridge’s high street since 1814 has been given the go-ahead by ABC Council for some significant internal changes.
The striking Imperial Inn on Bridge Street stands out among the many shops that line the town’s main thoroughfare for its Tudor-style frontage.
For over 200 years it has been a mainstay watering hole for locals, periodically changing hands under the management of several well-known families.
In that time it has rarely undergone any major refurbishment or structural changes, with the last notable changes requiring planning permission being made in the 1990s.
All that is now about to change, as plans submitted in the name of Stephen Neeson – of Dromore-based company Naxos Solutions Limited – back in September 2025 gained approved for the part change for the front public bar to off-sales area.
The existing rear entrance to the building off Bridge Street will now lead directly into the new off-sales which will be internally connected to the front bar, with a new “public bar lobby” in place of storage that currently exists near the side entrance to the property.
Additional internal changes include a removal of seating in the front bar which will be replaced with shelving for the off-licence.
The existing bar servery on that side would also be replaced partially with shelving and sales counter space.
To the left of the entrance a new “walk-in” cooler will be built to stock chilled beverages.
However, the front bar would remain largely unchanged, save for the introduction of a doorway from the new “public bar lobby”, and a wall adjacent to the bar servery separating the off-sales from the bar.
Including the building’s basement, the property includes a total of four storeys, however, no alterations would be made to the other three floors and there would be no external alterations.
