Plans underway to reopen The Pig’s Ear Tavern in downtown Peterborough

Plans are underway to reopen “The Pig’s Ear Tavern,” the iconic bar in downtown Peterborough, Ont., which closed in 2017.

According to a post by the Trent University Alumni Association, alumni Steve Robertson and Ashley Holmes and two other investors recently purchased the building on Brock Street with a plan to reopen the pub this summer.

Predating Confederation by two years, The Pig’s Ear originally opened in 1865 as the St. Maurice Saloon. It became The Pig’s Ear in the 1970s. After 152 years in the city, pub closed its doors on April 22, 2017, when owners John and Lylie Punter sold the building at 144 Brock St. which housed the pub.

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The bar was for years a popular spot for Trent students and musicians both locally and outside the city.

Robertson, a graduate of psychology in 1993, stated in the post that the loss of the pub was a loss for patrons but also a piece of history for the city. Holmes graduated from Trent in 2006 with a degree in business administration.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring back this long-cherished establishment, where people can once again meet to talk, laugh, sing, and form new memories over a tray of beer,” he stated.

Robertson in an email to Global News Peterborough said the goal is to open this summer. The deal for the building was finalized in October 2022 and the entrepreneurs received the keys to the building on Jan. 20.

“We are targeting mid-summer for the opening, and will be posting updates on social media and the website as we progress,” he said.

More to come.

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