We now know that Ruthin School has bought Ye Olde Anchor Hotel.
It was suddenly in November 2012 that The Anchor closed its doors for the last time, as an inn. It marked Stephanie Booth's final exit from the hotel trade, a business she entered in 2002, into which she expanded by buying further establishments local to Rhuthun/Ruthin.
Lloyd's and subsequently Llangollen Hotels groups once numbered seven and in the Rhuthun area this at one time included the:
In fact, Booth's Anchor was nowhere near as gay as was England's.
Other than the plausible mismanagement of the Llangollen Hotels' chain, what did the closure of the Anchor say? That Rhuthun was over-supplied with visitor bed space? Probably. Market forces will prevail. By extension, this meant there were fewer staying guests. Remember that the Wynnstay Arms had already closed with the loss of further accommodation. Yes, the Wetherlodge is new but it replaced the beds offered by the Castle Hotel in Booth's days. And in spite of Booth's vain attempts with her £5 lunches and dinners to match Wetherspoon's menu offer, it's probably unwise to pitch so closely to the category killer giant that moved into town in January 2012.
After the July 2011 collapse of Booth's Global Investments Group, the Anchor was the last of her inns to trade. It actually passed to Mapleleaf Investments and it was Mapleleaf which concluded the sale to Ruthin School for the asking price of £299,000. There remained a Booth connection to the very end: Booth was a trustee of the pension fund that itself owned Mapleleaf.
There was said to be hotel trade interest in the Anchor sale but this was believed to be well below the asking price. Many of us felt that we would never see the Anchor, built in c.1742, trade or in use again. Some of us even speculated that it would terminate as flats or remain empty forevermore, perhaps after deteriorating further or even being pulled down.
Now, though, Ruthin School has acquired it. It won't actually become flats but a hall of residence for sixth formers. Much better than being left to rot. It's expected to open for the 2014/15 academic year and is the clearest signal yet that the public school, said three years ago to be in financial difficulty, is recovered. How else could they afford to acquire it?
It was suddenly in November 2012 that The Anchor closed its doors for the last time, as an inn. It marked Stephanie Booth's final exit from the hotel trade, a business she entered in 2002, into which she expanded by buying further establishments local to Rhuthun/Ruthin.
- Bodidris Hall, Llandegla, where the empire started
- Clwyd Gate restaurant
- Plough, Llandegla
- Anchor
- Myddleton Arms and, of course, the adjoining & connected Castle Hotel.
In fact, Booth's Anchor was nowhere near as gay as was England's.
Other than the plausible mismanagement of the Llangollen Hotels' chain, what did the closure of the Anchor say? That Rhuthun was over-supplied with visitor bed space? Probably. Market forces will prevail. By extension, this meant there were fewer staying guests. Remember that the Wynnstay Arms had already closed with the loss of further accommodation. Yes, the Wetherlodge is new but it replaced the beds offered by the Castle Hotel in Booth's days. And in spite of Booth's vain attempts with her £5 lunches and dinners to match Wetherspoon's menu offer, it's probably unwise to pitch so closely to the category killer giant that moved into town in January 2012.
After the July 2011 collapse of Booth's Global Investments Group, the Anchor was the last of her inns to trade. It actually passed to Mapleleaf Investments and it was Mapleleaf which concluded the sale to Ruthin School for the asking price of £299,000. There remained a Booth connection to the very end: Booth was a trustee of the pension fund that itself owned Mapleleaf.
There was said to be hotel trade interest in the Anchor sale but this was believed to be well below the asking price. Many of us felt that we would never see the Anchor, built in c.1742, trade or in use again. Some of us even speculated that it would terminate as flats or remain empty forevermore, perhaps after deteriorating further or even being pulled down.
Now, though, Ruthin School has acquired it. It won't actually become flats but a hall of residence for sixth formers. Much better than being left to rot. It's expected to open for the 2014/15 academic year and is the clearest signal yet that the public school, said three years ago to be in financial difficulty, is recovered. How else could they afford to acquire it?