English Rose pub in High Town goes on sale for £1million

Planning permission has also been granted for a two-storey side extension in the beer garden, which would comprise of two three-bedroom houses.

A pub since 1845, The English Rose was originally called The Rabbit as the area in High Town was once called Coney Heath, ‘coney’ being an old term for rabbit.

According to Luton Heritage Forum, it is generally considered that the pub was built on the site of the 18th century Coney Hall. The forum added: “The house underwent a rebuild in 1908 but there is no known photograph of the original building.”

Blonde bombshell Diana Dors famously pulled pints behind The Rabbit in the 1950s when she was briefly married to the landlord’s son Dennis Hamilton.

In recent years, it became famed for its wide selection of guest beers, offering hundreds throughout the year.

The bar has also won many awards from CAMRA – Campaign For Real Ale – most recently winning 2011 Pub of the Year for South Bedfordshire.

Ex-landlord Stan Smith left the pub in January 2017 after a tenure of 18 years.