Ston Easton Park hotel returns to market at reduced price

The Ston Easton Park hotel in Somerset has returned to the market for £4.5m.

The four-red-AA-star, 23-bedroom property fell into administration during the pandemic in 2020 and was first brought to market by Knight Frank for £6m in December 2021.

The Grade I-listed Palladian mansion, which sits within 28 acres of gardens and landscaped grounds designed by the eighteenth-century landscape designer Humphry Repton, is now being sold by Christie & Co and Savills with vacant possession.

It was owned by the Hippisley family for over 400 years and was purchased by Lord William Rees-Mogg in the mid-1900s, who restored part of the estate.

Hotelier Peter Smedley then acquired Ston Easton Park in the 1970s and completed the restoration, opening it as a 22-bedroom hotel in 1982. He sold the property to Andrew Davis’ Von Essen Hotels in 2000.

The hotel was sold to entrepreneur and former Dragon's Den presenter James Caan in 2012 following the collapse of Von Essen.

Since falling into administration in 2020, the property has also been used as a venue for the ITV series Sanditon, and featured in the BBC's production The Pursuit of Love.

Ed Bellfield, regional director at Christie & Co, who is handling the sale, said: “Ston Easton Park offers an exciting opportunity for a creative, imaginative buyer to become the latest custodian of one of Somerset’s greatest properties.

"It is rare that a property of this magnitude comes to the open market and considering its location, the estate will offer a buyer potential for a variety of alternative uses, subject to obtaining planning permission.”

Alistair Heather, who is marketing the property on behalf of Savills, added: “It is a privilege to represent the sale of one of Somerset’s most impressive and historic country estates.

"The property offers incredible potential for use commercially or, subject to the necessary consents, reinstated as a residence of considerable grandeur.”