Keswick guesthouse sold to Ayr operators

The four-diamond Maple Bank guesthouse in Braithwaite, Cumbria, has been sold to Tommy Brown and Rhona Duncan, experienced operators from Ayr.

The Edwardian, double-fronted detached property was built in 1906 by local textile family the Dunlops as a residence for their son, a vicar. It served as a children's home for evacuees from Newcastle during the Second World War before becoming a guesthouse.

It is located on the fringe of Braithwaite village with views across Skiddaw and Latrigg, and is a five-mile drive from Keswick, which sits on the banks of the Derwentwater at the entrance to the Borrowdale valley.

The guesthouse provides seven en-suite bedrooms to sleep 16, a residents' lounge, and a 16-seat dining room. For the owners, there is a one-bedroom suite along with a separate two-bedroom flat above the garage.

The grounds include car parking and front and rear gardens, with an orchard, paddock and two garages with workshop to the rear.

The Manchester office of Colliers Robert Barry sold the freehold off an asking price of around £685,000 on behalf of Russell and Beryl Birkett.

By Angela Frewin