Premier League soccer star buys East End pub

A MYESTERY soccer star and his business partner have paid more than the �500,000 asking’ price for an East End boozer just a stone’s throw from London’s Canary Wharf. But the surveyors handling the deal are staying tight-lipped about the Premier League player who has bought the Britannia in Bow Common

A MYSTERY soccer star and his business partner have paid more than the �500,000 asking’ price for an East End boozer just a stone’s throw from London’s Canary Wharf.

But the surveyors handling the deal are staying tight-lipped about the Premier League player who has bought Mile End’s Britannia pub (pictured) in Bow Common Lane, just a mile north of the affluent business district.

“I’m not allowed to tell you who the player is,” said AG & G chartered surveyors director James Grimes. “But I can say that he didn’t get his inspiration from Stoke’s Britannia stadium.

“He bought The Brit with a developer, so a change of use could be on the cards.”

The 5,700sq ft building is not listed, although it lies in a conservation area and could be converted into luxury flats. It is on two-storeys plus beer cellar, with accommodation and parking for 10 vehicles and a covered smoking area at the rear.