Woody's Music Bar and motel put up for sale for £250,000

Woody's Music Bar in Hednesford is described by those selling the property as 'an iconic venue locally, with a reputation for attracting some of the best live performers the area has to offer.'

Previously The Uxbridge, the bar opened up as Woody's in April 2011 after being renovated extensively and has hosted a string of tribute acts, new music talent and charity events.

But now the Market Street venue has been put up for sale by owners Andy 'Woody' and Tracie Wood, both aged 46.

The couple say they are now looking to 'to explore other business interests and family commitments'.

Woody said: "It's become such an iconic venue over the years, and I'm so proud of it, I really am. It's a way of life for us, and is so well-known in the area now.

"Hopefully it's not an end of an era, and someone will come along and take it over who respects what we've done with the place and will carry it on.

Woody confirmed that there is a variety of reasons as to why the couple, who live on the premises, decided to put the venue and the nearby Joshua Tree Motel on the market.

Tracie said: "It's been up for sale for a while now, but the sign has only just gone up and at first it was just out of curiosity that we did it really.

The business is run full-time by the owners who are assisted by two self-employed and six part-time employed staff members. Those members of staff will continue to work at the venue whilst a new owner is being sought.

The venue, which holds up to 220 people on the ground floor alone, is also renowned for its sports coverage and gaming facilities, with plasma TV screens and large HD projector and screen used for local gaming tournaments.

The guide price for the venue, which is listed on Rightmove, is £250,000 including the motel.

The motel, according to the agent, 'operates as a fantastic compliment to its sister company, with many visitors to Woody's Music Bar choosing to stay there.'

The motel has a total of 12 rooms and is open 24 hours a day for people to come and go as they please. The motel is frequently used by cyclists popping in from Cannock Chase and race-goers visiting the nearby Hednesford Hills Raceway.

With a high number of large businesses and developments also in the area, there are also a number of contractors that frequent the motel on a weekly basis.

The sale of Woody's could prove another blow for music lovers in the area following the closure of the popular nearby venue The Tackeroo last year.

News of the sale has come as a shock to locals.

Sheila Cartwright, Hednesford town councillor for West Hill Ward, said: "I know it's a very popular venue for musicians and they hold gigs every week.

"It'll be a real shame if it doesn't get sold or has to close.

"Not only that, but being where it is and having the motel next to it means its always used by the cyclists that are looking to use the track at Cannock Chase. We get cyclists and competitors from all over Europe coming to use the track and the motel has always been busy with those visitors.

"Hopefully someone will snap it up and keep it for the purpose it has rather than change it completely."

Past performers at the venue include rock n roll band Jimmy and the Hound Dogs, Irish-influenced band The Bad Rats, Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls of The Wonder Stuff, Dave Sharp of The Alarm, rock band Almost Easy and up-and-coming teenage band Idle, who performed a warm-up gig at the venue just days before they were due to appear at a tribute charity concert dedicated to the late Charlatans drummer, Jon Brookes.

Woody's also ran the 'Todfather Acoustic sessions' for budding musicians to attend. Regulars on stage at the bar include local bands such as Bloke and Brit pop group Marquis Drive.

Woody's did make headlines back in 2011, but for not because of the music or entertainment.

The venue found it had been visited by a notorious artist who has haunted pubs across Staffordshire and the Black Country, leaving drawings of opera singer Mario Lanza in their wake.

Lanza, who died in 1959, was a US tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s.

Beermat drawings have been turning up across the region ever since, although Woody's is thought to be the only venue in Hednesford.

The secret artist left behind four beermats and a handmade postcard was put on a sink in the gents toilet.