Jean Queen Donna Ida Thornton is delighted to announce that she has purchased Langdon Court in Devon alongside her husband, Robert Walton MBE.
The sale of the 16 Century, Grade ll* listed 4 star Jacobean Manor House Hotel will see necessary investment to restore and revive the building and business to secure its future for many years to come.
Dealing with the sale at Vickery Holman, Mike Easton, Head of Hotels and Hospitality comments ‘The sale process of Langdon Court demonstrates the continued interest in the South West Country House Hotel market right now where, in this instant, we received considerable interest and numerous offers. This is despite considerable challenges on the ground with a property in need of protection and repair. We are absolutely delighted that Robert and Donna are the successful purchaser and they have fully engaged with the history and charm of Langdon. They are showing a real focus on getting the building back into good repair so it will become a venue known not just locally but Internationally.’
Robert Walton MBE, is President of the Restaurant Association of Great Britain and founder of The Nth Degree Global is a partner of the Michelin Guide, while his wife, Donna Ida Thornton, is a highly regarded fashion designer and ‘Jean Queen’. Robert is very well known in the hospitality industry for encouraging talent in the restaurant sector as the chairman of the World Young Chef Young Waiter competition. He is also a keen advocate of good food and healthy eating with his popular cooking series Dazzler Does on Instagram. Donna founded her eponymous fashion brand in 2006 for the girl whose wardrobe is centred around denim.
Robert and Donna's combined skills will be put to good use as they set out to sensitively repair and restore Langdon to its former glory.
Robert comments ‘When Donna and I first saw Langdon we were completely blown away by the beauty of the building and the grounds and immediately agreed that this was the one we had been looking for. It’s something that we had been wanting to do for some time – to create a venue that offers the best in food and accommodation, supporting up and coming chefs in stylish surroundings’.
Donna continues ‘Whilst Langdon Court is a major project, we’ve been inspired by the beauty of the historic building and stunning coastal location. We both like to be surrounded by beautiful things so we started planning the renovations immediately so we can inject our signature style into Langdon Court. The look will be clean country, with a big nod to the Devon countryside. We want to bring elements of the outside in but without cluttering the space. Imagine lots of natural clean fresh fabrics and textures in a neutral colour palette."
Robert added: ‘We had been looking all over for our next project and the South West has so many things going for it with top quality local produce from both land and sea along with a growing reputation for dining out and for high end holidays. The support shown already by those we have shared our ideas with, has been extraordinary and we really cannot wait to get started. We would like to particularly thank Mike at Vickery Holman who has been supportive throughout as the process has not been that straightforward, but he has been there at each step and we will recommend Vickery Holman services to our contacts.’
Donna concludes: ‘There’s so much history attached to Langdon Court. Much of the original Renaissance garden still exists and it has been visited by royalty including Edward Vll. The house was a home for hundreds of years before being turned into a hotel in the 1960s. We really cannot wait to get started.’
Langdon Court stands in 10 acres of ground including beautiful gardens, a vineyard, lakes and two former outbuildings in addition to the 19 en-suite bedrooms in the main property. The gardens and buildings are highly photogenic and would make a wonderful location for photo shoots.
Mike Easton concludes: ‘We were delighted to receive the instructions for the sale of such a stunning and important property for the region. Langdon Court has a long history and is well known in the area as an events and dining venue. The next episode for Langdon is one of revival and we look forward to seeing the results.’
Read more about Langdon Court.