Signet Collection acquires Barnsdale Lodge hotel with £3.8m loan

Barnsdale Lodge hotel in Oakham, Rutland is to undergo a refurbishment and expansion following its acquisition by the Signet Collection.

The 46-bedroom hotel will now sit alongside Signet’s two other properties: the Mitre at Hampton Court, Surrey, which opened in September 2020, and the Retreat at Elcot Park, Newbury, Berkshire, which launched last month.

Barnsdale Lodge was formerly used as a farmhouse and hunting lodge and adjoins Exton Park, seat of the Earls of Gainsborough. It was previously owned by the Noel family since 1760.

Thomas Noel converted the property into a hotel in 1983 and for the past 13 years it has been managed by Ed Burrows and Charles Burrows, who launched the Wildhive hotel brand at Callow Hall, on the edge of the Peak District, Derbyshire, in 2021.

Located on a 30-acre site close to Rutland Water, Barnsdale Lodge features 46 bedrooms, 17 self-catering cottages, a 130-cover restaurant, three private dining rooms and a function space for 120 guests.

Signet was launched by Hector Ross (pictured above left) in 2020 with Ronnie Kimbugwe (pictured above right), former group head chef at the Bel and Dragon pub group, overseeing culinary operations.

At Barnsdale Lodge the team plan to refurbish the bedrooms, convert the function space into a spa, create a new entertaining space for 150 guests and introduce retail units.

Ross said: “Signet Hotels is all about taking assets in the UK countryside that have fallen out of love, favour or investment, and breathing new life into them.”

OakNorth Bank has provided a £3.8m loan to the Signet Collection to acquire the hotel and help fund the refurbishment.

Deepesh Thakrar, senior director of debt finance at OakNorth Bank, said: “We’ve worked with Hector and the team for years, so know this is a team that can deliver and has the expertise and drive to succeed in this highly competitive market.”