THE former Newport city centre Wetherspoons pub, the Tom Toya Lewis, will be up for auction later this month (October 18).

The 30,000-square-foot pub and restaurant, which was sold by Wetherspoons in February this year to Warrington-based Close Community, is currently being run by an established local publican and generates a rental income of £122,000 a year. The guide price for the Commercial Street pub has been set at £600,000.

Originally built as a YMCA in 1909, the Tom Toya Lewis is named after the 14-year-old hero of a construction disaster that occurred at Newport Docks in the same year, killing 39 men. Tom received the Albert Medal for bravery for his efforts to free workers trapped in a collapsed trench.

Paul Thompson, managing director of property auction house Pugh Property, which is running the auction, said: “A well-known Newport pub with close connections to the history of the city, the Tom Toya Lewis is a great investment opportunity.

"It’s well run and is generating a healthy rental income and not surprisingly we have had a great deal of interest in the property.”

For more information on the Tom Toya Lewis pub, and to view the full auction catalogue, go to www.pugh-auctions.com