Jamaica Inn sold to Coaching Inn Group for £8m

Jamaica Inn in Cornwall, which was immortalised in Daphne du Maurier’s best-selling novel of the same name, has been sold to the Coaching Inn Group.

The group purchased the property from Allen Jackson off a guide price of £8m.

The 18th century, 36-bedroom coaching inn had been owned by Jackson for the last eight years, during which time the property received substantial investment and evolved into a thriving private leisure business, generating around £4m in revenue in its most recent financial year.

Jamaica Inn was originally constructed around 1750, and consists of a restaurant, bar, farm shop and gift shop, as well as two museums dedicated to the history of smuggling and du Maurier.

Matthew Smith, partner in the hotel agency team at Knight Frank, which oversaw the sale, said: “Having brokered the deal to Allen when he purchased Jamaica Inn eight years ago it is quite remarkable what has been achieved under his ownership. Such a transformation from a traditional 17-bedroom coaching inn to a highly profitable thriving 36-bedroom multifaceted business, whilst carefully preserving the 18th century parts of the inn.

“The business also benefits from future value-add opportunities to include planning permission to construct a substantial 200+ single story circular function suite. Delighted to have introduced this opportunity to the Coaching Inn Group who will no doubt continue the growth of Jamaica Inn.”

The Coaching Inn Group has been on an acquisition spree since being acquired by RedCat Pub Company last year. Since August 2021, the group has grown from 18 to 24 sites, including Forest Park hotel in Brockenhurst and the Crown hotel in Boroughbridge, Yorkshire.