Guy’s Thatched Hamlet hospitality complex looks for new owners

Guy’s Thatched Hamlet in Bilsborrow, a cluster of hospitality venues which hosts the annual Guy’s Oyster Festival, has been brought to the market after 44 years under the same ownership. 

The listing includes a tavern, restaurant, sports pavilion, function rooms and 65-ensuite letting rooms across cottages and a converted farmhouse beside the Lancaster Canal. 

Built around a 17th century farmhouse beside the canal, the almost 14 acre complex which includes a cricket ground and bowling green, incorporates a mix of modern and historical buildings under thatched roofs, connected together with decking, flagstone flooring and cobblestones, and incorporating three car parks for 200 vehicles.

The business has been run by the Wilkinson family since 1980 and includes the 200-cover traditional pub Owd Nell’s Tavern, 175-cover Guy’s Eating Establishment which serves Italian cuisine, 80-cover Tommy Hatton’s Function Room off of the cricket grounds and The Boddington Pavilion function room adjacent to the bowling green. 

Central to the site is a converted school building, with connected lodges, which provides the majority of the letting bedrooms, as well as the Oyster Cottages, which house 12 of the bedrooms. 

There is also a substantial beer patio beside the canal with seating and decking, which is a popular meeting place for locals during the summer months. 

The business provides lots of opportunity for growth, and already has planning consent for the development of a further 18 letting suites. 

Julian Troup, head of Colliers hotels agency, said: “Guys Thatched Hamlet is a really unique hospitality business that has a strong trading history and record with local residents and visitors. It’s a stunning location, with lots of amenities within the complex which could be enhanced or developed further. There’s significant demand for hospitality businesses in the region and we’re anticipating a strong level of interest in this opportunity.”