Shoreditch chic to meet Cotswolds charm? Eynsham Hall sold to Hoxton and Gleneagles owner
A palatial country manor in Oxfordshire has been snapped up in an estimated ￡10-million deal by the owner of the boutique Hoxton hotel group.
Grade-II listed Eynsham Hall, near North Leigh, also joins the 850-acre Gleneagles golf and spa resort in Scotland as part of the growing portfolio owned by Ennismore, an investment firm founded by entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha.
The 135-room property, which boasts preserved Victorian-designed gardens and is a popular wedding venue, was only put on the market by its owners, Cathedral Group, in January. The asking price on the original listing was ￡8.25 million.
Richard Upton, co-founder of Cathedral Group, said: "We took Eynsham Hall to a new level of turnover and profitability but there is still a lot more potential for this magnificent hotel.
"Sadly, I am not in a position to dedicate the time to take Eynsham Hall to the next stage. Ennismore have acquired a gem of a property run by an extraordinary team.”
Planning permission has been granted for an additional 80 guest rooms to be added, plus a swimming pool, spa area and purpose-built conference facilities with a capacity for at least 200 people.
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Millionaire Pasricha founded Ennismore in 2011. A year later, the group acquired The Hoxton in Shoreditch, East London, before launching another in nearby Holborn.
An Amsterdam outpost opened in 2013, and last year The Hoxton Paris opened its doors in the city’s trendy 2nd arrondissement.
Expansion of the Hoxton brand is set to continue both in London – sites in Southwark and Shepherd’s Bush have already been earmarked – and across the Atlantic, with plans to bring their refined urban style to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
Eynsham Hall will be by far the oldest property in the Ennismore fold. The mansion was built in the 18th century before being demolished in 1904. It was resurrected in 1908 in a Jacobean style, created by architect Sir Ernest George.