A historic Aberdeen pub is set to change hands for the first time in almost five decades.

The Grill has been operated by the same family since 1971, but has now been put up for sale for £995,000 as the owners prepare to retire.

The sale of the Union Street premises is being managed by property advisers Christie & Co, which expects the pub to be sold quickly.

Stuart Drysdale, the firm’s director in charge of the sale, said: “The Grill presents a new owner with the rare opportunity to acquire a pub which has been a part of the local leisure circuit for over a century.

“The Aberdeen institution is available for sale on the open market for the first time in 48 years. A traditional wet-led pub, The Grill enjoys consistently healthy levels of profit with a strong management and staff team in place.

“The owners have decided to sell to enjoy their retirement and we expect a good amount of interest from local and national operators.”

The Grill originally opened as a restaurant in 1870 and has operated as a pub since the early part of the 20th century and was men-only until 1975.

In 1973 the pub was famously invaded by a large number of disgruntled female delegates attending the Scottish Trades Union Congress.

The removal of the women by police officers made local and national headlines and was recently the basis for No Ladies Please, a film by Crow House Projects.

The news that it has been put up for sale was met with surprise from a licensed trade leader in the north-east.However, he too expects the city centre watering hole, which is renowned for its selection of beers and whiskies, to be snapped up quickly.

Colin Cameron, a director of the Aberdeen City and Shire Licensed Trade Association, said: “My first thought is that it’s a bit of a surprise, particularly with the Music Hall reopening.

“However, the market has picked up quite a bit. If they had been trying to sell over the past couple of years it would have been more difficult but things have picked up now and I don’t think there will be a shortage of potential buyers.

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“It still looks really good as an old-style bar. I’ve got no doubt that anyone coming in will make a few changes. That’s understandable.

“However, my hope is that it goes to an individual and not one of the big national chains because we don’t want it to change its style too much.

“If you’re looking for a location in Aberdeen, there are not many better.“It’s right in the city centre, and it’s very close to the Music Hall, which is obviously quite important, particularly given it has recently reopened after the refurbishment.“It’s also a historic part of the licensed trade in the city.“It’s certainly big news in the licensed trade here.”

A spokeswoman for Christie & Co revealed the firm has already been contacted by parties expressing an interest in buying the pub.

She said: “While The Grill has only just come to the market we have seen a great deal of interest already and are expecting it to be extremely attractive particularly for an experienced buyer.”