Calcot Collection sells Barnsley House to Timothy Oulton

The Calcot Collection has confirmed the off-market sale of Barnsley House and the Village Pub near Cirencester in Gloucestershire to British furniture brand Timothy Oulton.

Barnsley House and the Village Pub will continue to operate as a luxury hotel, spa and pub with rooms, with the team remaining in place, including hotel director Michele Mella who has managed Barnsley for the past 11 years. Operations will continue and all existing bookings will be honoured.

The four-red-AA-starred, 18-bedroom property had been part of the Calcot Collection since 2009. The group said it had been “a very difficult decision” to sell, but one that would allow for “significant investment and expansion” at Calcot & Spa, the collection’s first property and flagship, with developments planned to begin next year.

The works are set to include five new family suites at Calcot, including three treehouses, an expansion to create a new fitness facility at Calcot Spa and five new bedrooms at the Lord Crewe Arms in Northumberland as part of the conversion of 18th-century cottages that line the square adjacent to the hotel.

The group added that finding an owner “that truly values the rich history and heritage of Barnsley House and its world-renowned gardens was of utmost importance” and that Timothy Oulton intended to “continue to nurture and care for this valuable heritage”.

Alongside Calcot & Spa and the Lord Crewe Arms, the Painswick in the Cotswolds remains part of the consolidated Calcot Collection.

Richard Ball, executive chairman of Calcot Collection, said: ‘We have loved our time as custodians of this wonderful property, but we feel the time is right to consolidate our interests and are excited to be able to hand them over to new owners, who we know will provide an exciting future for the team that have made them so special under our tenure.”

Tim Oulton, founder of his eponymous brand, said: “Barnsley House and the Village Pub are exactly the kind of property we have been wanting to bring into our group, with our focus on creating authentic, unique and award-winning experiences in home and retail, and more recently in the hospitality domain.

"Richard and his team at the Calcot Collection have nurtured Barnsley House with a respect for its rich heritage, and its loyal customer base. It comes to us as a strong operation, with a committed and experienced team, and I am looking forward to working with them team and its loyal customer base, to further realise the potential of this unique and storied property.”

The Calcot Collection bought Barnsley House and the Village Pub out of administration for a sum thought to be in the region of £6.6m.