Historic hotel is sold to pub chain

Rusper’s historic hotel Ghyll Manor has been sold to Cotswolds pub chain Brakspear.

The venue has been shut since the first lockdown in 2020 and Brakspear said it intended to reopen it next year following a major refurbishment.

Brakspear, which operates under the brand Honeycomb Houses, has a chain of 10 pubs mainly in its Oxfordshire heartland.

Ghyll Manor, a oncepopular wedding venue, was built in 1678.

It is a timber-framed building set in 25 acres of grounds including a lake, landscaped gardens, woodlands and tennis courts.

The hotel has 29 bedrooms within the main house and in cottages in the grounds, and weddings for up to 120 people have previously been catered for. It was sold to Brakspear by previous owners Boundless Breaks.

Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said: “We’re thrilled to bring Ghyll Manor into the Honeycomb Houses family. It’s an outstanding venue with enormous potential and commands huge affection locally which we’re confident we can harness to restore it as the most sought-after wedding venue in the area.”

Mr Davies said Ghyll Manor was their first wedding venue outside the Cotswolds and it would be looking to build the same broad appeal as its other venues such as The Frogmill near Cheltenham.

The company intends to reopen Ghyll Manor in 2023 and is ‘considering the site’s potential before making firm redevelopment plans, though these will include a major refurbishment and the addition of more bedrooms.’