Country inn with rooms continues to trade after administrators appointed

Administrators Begbies Traynor have appointed sector specialists, Colliers International, to pursue the successful sale of a country inn with rooms after securing the immediate future of almost all of the jobs at the venue.

Joint administrators Simon Haskew and Neil Vinnicombe – from the Begbies Traynor Bristol and Bath offices – were appointed on October 9.

The Full Moon at Rudge, near Frome, offers 18 rooms, wedding facilities and a restaurant, and dates back to around 1690.

Mr Vinnicombe said: “All but two of the 24 staff have retained their jobs, and early indications – including the fact that room bookings are running at a very high rate – mean that we are hopeful we will be able to secure a successful sale”.

He added that the venue had suffered from increased competition recently with the opening of two new hotels within eight miles of the pub.

Simon Wells of Colliers added: “The Full Moon is about 20 minutes from Bath, very near Longleat Safari Park and, though rural, is close to Frome, Trowbridge and Westbury. There is a lot of property here and it’s profitable too making it an attractive proposition. A pub with so many rooms does not come up for sale that often so I’m expecting a good response.”