A Cambridge publican and microbrewery owner has secured £1.1m in funding to purchase a landmark pub and hotel business on the outskirts of the city.

Lord Byron
Marcus Turpin (centre) with Becky Hayward and Adam Jolley, of Reward Finance Group

Marcus Turpin is utilising a facility provided by alternative finance lender Reward Finance Group to purchase The Lord Byron Inn, in Trumpington, from Stonegate. This acquisition aims to further develop that side of the business and transform Turpin Breweries after it was heavily affected during the pandemic.

Marcus started his career as a builder before becoming a publican in 2006, when he acquired a lease for The Lord Byron Inn. Working alongside his father, he expanded the pub to provide hotel accommodation, events space, and a restaurant.

In 2014, he further grew the business by establishing Turpin Breweries, which went on to win several Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) awards. However, the brewery had to be mothballed when the pandemic hit.

“Having enjoyed over 17 years as publican at The Lord Byron Inn, it’s hugely satisfying to now purchase the property and own the business outright,” said Marcus.

“We’ve built up a fantastic team here and have some exciting plans for the future, from expanding our hotel accommodation facilities through to relaunching Turpin Breweries and putting it back on the map after the difficulties we experienced during the pandemic.

“Given the speed with which we needed to complete the property transaction, we turned to Reward as we needed a lender which understood our needs, has extensive property finance experience, and could provide an agile funding solution in a short space of time.

“It was a relief to secure the finance and work with a funding partner that could help remove the stress out of finalising the purchase.”

Becky Hayward, relationship manager for Reward Finance Group in the Midlands, added: “I’m really looking forward to working with Marcus and providing ongoing support during what is such a significant growth period for the business.

“The expansion of the pub and hotel, coupled with the rebirth of the microbrewery, all points towards an exciting chapter ahead.”