Longleat sells Bath Arms to Beckford

Longleat Enterprises, the owner of the stately home and safari park in Wiltshire, has sold its last remaining hospitality business, the Bath Arms.

It has also sold Homewood Park to Ian and Christa Taylor and Bishopstrow House & Spa to commercial and residential property developer Frank Mountain of Versant Developer in 2018.

Located in the Wiltshire village of Horningsham, the Bath Arms has been bought by Beckford, the owner of three existing pubs with bedrooms in the south west: the Beckford Arms in Tisbury, Wiltshire, and two sites in Somerset, the Lord Poulett Arms and the Talbot Inn.

The pub will now close for three months to undergo a full refurbishment. It will reopen in April 2020 with 15 “great value, simple, yet stylish, rooms” and a strong focus on food and drink at “sensible prices to appeal to locals and visitors alike”.

Dan Brod, co-owner of Beckford, said: “We have always loved the Bath Arms and feel excited to now have the opportunity to be its next custodian. We will be working hard over the next few months to sensitively refurbish the buildings and will reopen in the spring, putting our sense of traditional hospitality at the heart of everything.”

Ceawlin Thynn, executive chairman of Longleat Enterprise, added: “We chose Beckford to be the next steward of the Bath Arms because we like their guest-led approach. They will do justice to our locale and also provide great, convenient accommodation for Longleat visitors for many years to come”.

As well as operating four pubs, Beckford is also the owner of Beckford Bottle Shop, with two sites in Bath and Tisbury, and the Bramley Products range of bath and body products.

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