‘I want to make historic building a success again'

Business owner Steven O’Leary wants to return the Partridge site to the success of its heyday

A historic Suffolk building once home to a famous hardware shop is edging ever closer to being partly transformed into a restaurant, its new owner has revealed.

MW Partridge & Co Ltd, which was positioned in the centre of Hadleigh in the high street, closed its doors back in September 2022 after about 200 years.

The stalwart business, which started life as an ironmongers in 1819 and changed hands many times, was considered an institution in the town.

Business owner Steven O’Leary took over the site around the time of its closure and now wants to turn it once again into “a successful business”.

The site started life as an ironmongers in 1819 and changed hands many times

Mr O’Leary, who has lived in the area for about 40 years, said: “My idea is a restaurant with outside tables in the middle of Hadleigh; that seems the way to go.

“It has been quite a difficult project to get to the finish, but the restaurant plans will go through the council sometime next year, and then we will move the development on.

“We have to be real about what we can achieve, and we need to work around the commercial ideas that are going to work.

“We don’t want to save the building; we have to save the building and make sure it works because Partridges is the centre of Hadleigh.”

The former hardware store could now partly be turned into a restaurant with outdoor seating

Mr O’Leary also owns The Marquis Hotel in Layham, so he is no stranger to turning ideas into success stories.

But this particular venture is as much a passion project as it is a business one.

“Everyone has a story about Partridges, and I used to love going to Partridges. I would be in there buying bits for my lawnmower,” he said.

“But I need other people to be invested in Hadleigh as well; otherwise, it will just become charity shops and fast-food restaurants.

“This is my home; it’s where I live, so this is about creating a business for me for the next 20 years and for my children for the next 50 years.

“There is no other hidden agenda, and if I make mistakes, I’m the only person responsible for that.”