A notorious den of thieves, smugglers and murderers has been sold for £8m.
Jamaica Inn, an 18th century coaching inn near Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, will forever be known for Daphne du Maurier’s 1936 novel, where it became the sinister haven of “wreckers”, who lured ships onto the rocks of the north Cornwall coast before murdering their crews and stealing their cargos.
It is now a 36-bedroom hotel, restaurant, farm shop and gift shop, which has been bought by the Coaching Inn Group. Knight Frank sold the 1750s building on behalf of Allen Jackson.
Under Jackson’s eight-year ownership the property received substantial investment and evolved into a private leisure business with multiple income streams and generated circa £4m revenue in its most recent financial year.
Matthew Smith, partner in the hotel agency team at Knight Frank, said: “Having brokered the deal to Allen when he purchased Jamaica Inn eight years ago, it is quite remarkable what has been achieved under his ownership. Such a transformation from a traditional 17-bedroom coaching inn to a highly profitable, thriving, 36-bedroom, multifaceted business, while carefully preserving the 18th century parts of the inn.”
The inn not only forms the heart of “Du Maurier country” but was once owned by the thriller writer Alistair McLean. It also hosts two museums, one dedicated to the history of smuggling and one to du Maurier.
Smith added: “The business also benefits from future value-add opportunities to include planning permission to construct a substantial 200-plus, single-story circular function suite. Delighted to have introduced this opportunity to the Coaching Inn Group who will no doubt continue the growth of Jamaica Inn.”
To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews
