9 June 2026
Advice and support helps community Co-operative take ownership of popular The Golden Ball pub in York
Barry Crux & Company were delighted to advise a community Co-operative to purchase and secure the future of a popular York pub.
Golden Ball Co-operative Limited has run The Golden Ball, in Cromwell Road, under a lease with great success since 2012.
However, the Grade II listed pub was last year put on the market by its owners as part of a nationwide dispersal of 23 pubs.
Having advised the Co-operative when they took over the lease initially, and over several years since in relation to rent reviews and other matters, our team at Barry Crux was on hand again to ensure it could successfully complete a historic deal – becoming the first community owned pub in York.
A great success story for York’
‘Graeme Wilson, chair of The Golden Ball Cooperative Ltd, said it was a the ‘culmination of years of work and a tribute to the tenacity of our membership and the excellence of our staff.’
“The support we have received from our customers, past and present has been fabulous,” he said.
“Our policies of supporting local businesses and promoting a diverse and community-focused range of events have led to excellent trading over the 13 years that we have leased the pub, and now provide a strong commercial basis for our future.
“We are excited to be looking ahead and to build on this achievement for the benefit of the pub, its staff, members and the wider community.
“This purchase is a great success story for community ownership, community wealth building and the future of York.”
Freehold consolidates community control
Barry Crux, director of professional services at Barry Crux & Company, said: “The purchase of the Golden Ball by the Co-operative represents a consolidation of the very strong interest which the community as a whole has in its future.
“The Golden Ball has traded extremely successfully as a community operation over all of these years, and the purchase of the freehold further consolidates the community’s interest and certainly secures its future for them.
“We wish the regulars, supporters and Trustees of The Golden Ball an even more successful future ahead as freehold owners.”
The Golden Ball comprises three ground floor trading rooms, a conventional lounge bar, snug, and lounge, with a centrally positioned bar servery.
There is a large external beer garden area to the rear, which is extremely popular. The upper floors comprise a self-contained residential flat, which can be occupied by the manager.
