Cove Group, owner of Shrewsbury Prison, takes over The Buttermarket from January 2027. Existing tickets stay valid and the venue's team stays on.

The Buttermarket, the club and live music venue on Howard Street, is changing hands. Cove Group, the Shrewsbury company that runs Shrewsbury Prison as a visitor attraction, has agreed to buy it. New ownership starts in January 2027.

Cove Group announced the deal on its own news page on Wednesday 21 October. It did not say what it is paying, and it did not give an exact completion date beyond January.

What changes, and what does not

According to Cove Group’s announcement:

  • the venue keeps its name and identity
  • the existing Buttermarket management team stays on
  • the current programme of gigs, club nights and shows carries on through the handover
  • all existing tickets and bookings remain valid
  • more announcements on the programme, “new experiences” and development plans will follow “in the coming weeks”

The company also said it sees room for joint events, corporate experiences and hospitality with Shrewsbury Prison, which it owns. It has not said what any of those would be.

Who is buying, and who is selling

Joel Campbell is Cove Group’s founder and chief executive. He said the group had “ambitious plans” for the venue. “We’re equally committed to protecting what people already love about it,” he said.

The seller is Martin Monahan, the venue’s current owner. He said it had been important to him that it “went to someone who understands its potential”. He will work with Cove Group on the handover, he said.

Cove Group’s best-known local business is the former prison on The Dana, where the company gives its address. The prison closed in 2013. It opened to visitors in August 2015, and now runs tours, ghost tours and escape rooms there. In August 2025 the company said it planned a boutique hotel and a conference centre on the site.

The building

The Buttermarket is older than its nightlife. It is a Grade II listed building on Howard Street, put up around 1835 to designs by Fallows and Hart of Birmingham, according to Historic England’s list entry.

It was built as the end-of-line warehouse for the Shrewsbury branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, a trade later taken over by the railway. The listing describes a heavy Greek Revival front of seven bays. Inside, the original cast-iron columns survive, though they are now encased.

What it means for you

  • Got tickets? Keep them. Cove Group says every existing ticket and booking stays valid.
  • Booked a party or a hire? The same management team is staying, so your contact does not change. The venue’s own details are on thebuttermarket.co.uk.
  • Wondering what happens next? Nothing has been announced yet beyond the handover. We will update this page when Cove Group publishes its plans.

For other nights out in town, see our what’s on in Shropshire this month and things to do in Shropshire.