The Knighton Hotel up for sale

The property, which has been empty for about a year, will be on offer at the Holte Suite at Aston Villa Football Club, Trinity Road, Birmingham at 10.30am.

Described as a commercial vacant property, the former hotel is listed as lot number 83.

It is described in the particulars as being an ‘attractive and spacious Grade 11 listed former hotel’ situated in a prominent town centre location.

It is considered suitable for a variety of alternative uses including residential, subject to obtaining the appropriate planning permission and Listed Building Consent on the instructions of Damian Webb and Diana Frangou of RSM Restructing Advisory LLP as Joint Administrators of Leisure and Developments Ltd.

Keen

But Knighton Mayor Councillor Nick Johns said local residents are hoping it will remain as a hotel.

He said: “I think everyone is very keen to see it reopen as a hotel, the actual building and the rooms are in pretty good order so I hope that a new buyer will see the potential the hotel has.”

The Knighton Hotel is believed to date from 1867 with various subsequent additions.

It comprises two elements, a stone built building adjoining a half-timbered building.

The accommodation is principally arranged over basement, ground and two upper floors. There are extensive lounge areas, bar, restaurant for approximately eight covers and a particularly impressive first floor function room for approximately 200 covers, having double height ceiling and gallery landing with attractive stone walls in part and exposed timber beams to the ceilings.

Cantalibra

There are 16 en-suite letting rooms and owner/staff accommodation including a good sized duplex flat with its own separate entrance. There is a commercial kitchen with food hoists servicing the banqueting suite, dry store, washing up section, cellars, plant room and laundry room. There is an additional satellite kitchen adjacent to the function room on the first floor. The property features from a particularly attractive Cantalibra staircase rising to the upper floors. Outside and to the rear are two timber decks that were constructed to service the main restaurant and bar.

The plan incorporates a flying freehold and the sale does not include the ground floor or cellar.

The Knighton Hotel and The Radnorshire Arms Hotel in Presteigne closed suddenly in April 2018, and Leisure and Development Limited, the company which last held them, went into administration on August 2 2018. The Radnorshire Arms Hotel is not included in the auction.

Leisure and Development Limited was founded by Paul and Rowena Williams in 1999 and it was sold to Keith Partridge of Coast2Coast Limited on February 1 for a reported £10 million.

The hotels were put up for sale with Colliers International by the administrators RSM Restructuring Advisory LLP in November.