Von Essen has bought four historic Cotswolds hotels in a £16m deal.
They are the 13-bedroom Buckland Manor in Buckland, the 11-bedroom Lower Slaughter and the 15-bedroom Washbourne Court Hotel, both in Lower Slaughter, and the 16-bedroom Washbourne Court Hotel in Worcester. All four properties were owned by Roy and Daphne Vaughan, and property agent Knight Frank acted for Von Essen.
The acquisitions will boost the number of country hotels owned by Von Essen to 15.
It is understood that Von Essen is close to buying the 26-bedroom Sharrow Bay hotel on Ullswater in the Lake District, and that it is also interested in Inverlochy Castle Fort William, Inverness-shire.
Sharrow Bay, credited as being the UK's first country house hotel, belonged to Francis Coulson and Brian Sack, and was left to Nigel Lightburn when Sack died in 2002.
Lightburn was unavailable for comment as Caterer went to press.
Other Von Essen hotels
- Ston Easton Park, Ston Easton, Somerset
- New Park Manor, Brockenhurst, Hampshire
- Thornbury Castle, Thornbury, Gloucestershire
- The Mount Somerset, Taunton, Somerset
- Congham Hall, Hillington, Norfolk
- Bishopstrow House, Warminster, Wiltshire
- Thorne Island, Angle, Pembrokeshire
- The Royal Crescent, Bath
- Cliveden, Taplow, Berkshire
- Lewtrenchard Manor, Lewdown, Devon
- Dalhousie Castle and Spa, Bonnyrigg, Edinburgh