A bar and restaurant that has been in a town centre for five decades is now for sale.

Blakes of Dover, in Castle Street, which also has two hotel rooms, is on the market with a guide price of £595,000 freehold.

Kadrin Uzunov, who has owned the business for 15 years, told KentOnline: “There is no rush to sell it but I am doing this because I am hoping to invest in a bigger hotel.

“I would expect that Blakes would continue under the new owners. It has been going for more than 50 years.”

Mr Uzuno commutes all the way from Bromley to run the restaurant but still wants to open a new premises in the county of Kent.

Previous owners have included Peter and Kathryn Garstin, who took over in June 2005.

In early 2006 they made Blakes the first non-smoking pub in Dover before the nationwide ban on smoking in enclosed public places came into force on July 1, 2007.

Blakes, in July 2006, was awarded the title Pub of the Year by the Dover, Deal and Sandwich branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

It is a three-storey Victorian property and a listed building.

It also includes a one bedroomed flat.

The sale is being marketed by the licensed property specialists Sidney Phillips and shown on the website of the online real estate property portal Rightmove.