THE prospective buyers of an historic pub are looking to make it “the hub of Peebles again”.

The Cross Keys, the town’s oldest inn, is currently owned by JD Wetherspoon.

But the chain put the L-shaped, three-storey building – one of 17 it is selling – on the market for £600,000 in November 2022.

This week Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said that the site was “under offer”.

Prospective buyers Barony Castle Hotel Group said the potential sale depends on the chain’s timeframe and that it had not “signed any paperwork yet”.

Group operations director Steven Colquhoun said: “We will run The Cross Keys as a separate business and we are ready to take over, but it is when Wetherspoon give us the keys.

“We are looking to bring The Cross Keys back to what it was and make it the hub of Peebles again.”

It was built in 1693 as a town mansion by Walter Williamson of Cardrona and has strong links to famous Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott.

It has been opened and closed many times over the years and was bought by Wetherspoon back in 2011.

The chain spent £2.2 million redeveloping the historic Northgate site between 2012 and 2014.

The potential sale comes just less than 10 years after the official opening, in July 2014, when Tweeddale MP David Mundell ceremoniously pulled a pint.

In August 2022, Wetherspoon applied to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) for building planning consent to fix leaks in the roof of the Grade II-listed building.

Mr Colquhoun said that roof repairs would cost more than £100,000. Should the sale go through, he said there would be discussions with SBC over the unavailability of Scottish slate.

Chris Miller, chairman of CAMRA Edinburgh and SE Scotland, said: “We are happy if the pub continues as a welcoming pub – and with a continued choice of well kept real ales, including from local and regional breweries.”

The Barony Castle Hotel Group also owns the Tontine Hotel.