A LANDMARK building in Sale which last year came a whisker from demolition has reopened once more as a hotel and restaurant.

The former Sale Hotel was due to be pulled down, but after a massive Messenger backed campaign by the surrounding community and Sale Civic Society, the 130 year-old Marsland Road building was spared the bulldozers thanks to an 11th hour granting of listed building status by English Heritage.

On Monday the fully rejuvenated building reopened as the Moorfield Hotel, which was officially launched by former Manchester City and England goalkeeper, Joe Corrigan.

Pat Coulburn who helped spearhead the campaign for Sale Civic Society, and who even threatened to chain herself to the building to keep the bulldozers at bay, said after the launch: “It’s a lovely corner of Sale and it would have really altered the feel of the neighbourhood had it been demolished.

“They have clearly done it justice in its present state, inside and out. There’s a really pleasant ambience inside which reflects its intended use, and that’s as a family restaurant.”