RENOWNED Scottish hospitality operator Bill Costley is to offload one of his best-loved Ayrshire venues.
Costley & Costley Hoteliers, which Mr Costley runs with wife Cath and son Andrew, has instructed property agent Smith & Clough to find a buyer for Souter’s Inn, a bar and restaurant in the village of Kirkoswald, near Turnberry. The outlet's website notes that the pub, which has a thatched roof, is built on the site of the old school yard where Scotland's national bard Robert Burns studied in the late 18th century.
Smith & Clough said it was seeking offers in excess of £995,000 for the freehold interest in the business.
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Jonathan Clough, an owner and director of Smith & Clough, posted on LinkedIn: “We are delighted to have been instructed by the Costley & Costley Group to market the award-winning and historic Souter's Inn, which is nestled within the South Ayrshire village of Kirkoswald, which lies just outside Turnberry.
“Kirkoswald and the surrounding area is steeped in Robert Burns history and Souter's Inn is historically significant as it was home to the old school house that Burns attended back in 1772.
“The subjects are named after Souter Johnnie from Burns' famous Tam O' Shanter poem, who lived in the village and is now buried across the road in the Old Parish Church graveyard along with 'Tam O' Shanter', or more accurately the people the characters were based on. Souter Johnnie's cottage is a few doors along and is now owned by the National Trust and is open for visitors to explore.
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“The sale comprises this substantial and spectacular village inn, all under a magnificent thatched roof, which can accommodate approximately 140 customers, an ice cream parlour/ cafe/ retail space, as well as a separate ice cream production unit and bakery, and a large car park for approx. 60 cars.
“We are seeking offers in excess of £995,000 for the freehold interest in this fantastic business opportunity which also provides an opportunity to own a piece of Scottish history.”
Mr Costley, a classically trained chef who attended cooking school in Versailles, founded Costley & Costley with Cath in 1988, going on to establish a high-end portfolio of award-winning wedding hotels and country inns in towns and villages around his native Ayrshire.
The decision to sell Souter’s Inn comes after The Herald reported that the company had sold Doonbrae, “virtually a domestic” property, for £1.3m and Ellisland House Hotel for £1m in the year ended September 2022. It then offloaded the Brig o’Doon House Hotel, a popular wedding venue in Alloway, to Robert and Vivien Kyle’s RAD Hotel Group, in October of that year.
Those disposals left Costley & Costley with a portfolio comprising Lochgreen House Hotel, Highgrove House Hotel, Souter’s Inn, and Cochrane Inn, all in Ayrshire.
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