HISTORICAL & CHARACTERISTIC B&B WIH SHOP
Price:
Freehold - £325,000
Location:
Isle of Wight , High Street, Shanklin
Business Type:
Hotels, Retail businesses
Keats Cottage is ideally situated and established at the top of Shanklin's picturesque Old Village.
Shanklin Old Village has been a consistent magnet for tourists since Victorian times. A collection of pretty period buildings grouped around the head of Shanklin Chine form one of the most important tourist destinations on the Island. Shanklin is the most important town on the Island's south coast and serves as a centre for day to day needs for the Sandown-Shanklin-Lake conurbation of around 19,500 people and, most importantly to the current trading style of ^sKeats Cottage^d has an enormous influx of tourists during the season.
Keats Cottage which has been lovingly restored and repaired by the current owners, forms the majority of an end of terrace building, the small element "Keats Gallery", sold off.
The ground floor offers retail premises (originally a restaurant) totalling some 85m² (914.9ft²) of which some 39.4m² (424.1ft²) are the public areas, supported by guest dining room, quasi domestic kitchen, fully equipped commercial kitchen and storage. The upper floors currently provide owner's and letting accommodation running to a total of five ensuite letting rooms, guest lounge, owner's lounge and bedroom.
The five letting rooms are named Keats, Baker, Williams and Morland, with Keats and Morland, each carrying their own historial story. Particularly popular with historians and poets, guests are interested to know that the poet John Keats stayed and wrote at "Keats Cottage" in the room named "Keats Room" for 3 months in the summer of 1819, completing works such as "Othio the Great, parts of "Lamia and some of his famous odes. Other famous artisians who stayed at Keats Cottage include the artist George Morland, who painted the famous picture "The Wreckers" and Thomas Morton the dramatist famous for his work "Speed the Plough". The cottage at this time was called "Eglantine Cottage" and guests were looked after by a Mrs Williams.
The whole property is of some considerable character and brings with it historial provenance benefiting from original feature fire places throughout, some original beams and a pleasant, enclosed rear garden. Guest rooms on the second floor benefit from views over Shanklin's Old Village and out to the English Channel and views of the Downs.
THE BUSINESS
The current owners have been at Keats Cottage for 6.5 years and initially ran Keats as a restaurant and 4 star hotel. The restaurant was converted around 3 years ago to a Gift Shop which they still run today. Having refurbished the rooms, the current owners have re-opened as a Bed & Breakfast, offering accommodation to adults only, welcoming walkers, cyclists, well behaved dogs and operate all year round including Christmas and New Year. Rooms are offered on a bed & breakfast basis at a rate of £27.50 per person per night, or bed only at a rate of £22.50 per person per night. There is the potential to increase trade by inviting children, and transforming the Baker Room, which is currently occupied by a family member, into a family suite. The retail unit has historially been used as a restaurant and as such would suit this use again, subject to relevant consents.
Keats Cottage is ideally situated and established at the top of Shanklin's picturesque Old Village.
Located on the first floor, and comprising a large lounge area benefiting from characteristic large windows, spacious bathroom with corner bath and separate shower, and large double bedroom with door leading to the private rear garden.
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