A Texan couple have been announced as the new owners of what is thought to be England s oldest hotel, the Old Bell in Malmesbury. Kim and Whit Hanks have also agreed to buy the neighbouring Abbey House Gardens, once home to the Naked Gardeners and famed for its clothes optional days. The founders of Whim Hospitality, Camp Lucy and Tillie’s Restaurant in Dripping Springs, Texas say they are exceptionally thrilled to take on the sites. They are regular visitors to the town which has been the Hanks family ancestral home since before 1500. Pioneering Malmesbury industrialist, Walter Hanks, operated a mill below The Old Bell Hotel on the River Avon in the late 1100’s.
A Texan couple have been announced as the new owners of what is thought to be England s oldest hotel, the Old Bell in Malmesbury. Kim and Whit Hanks have also agreed to buy the neighbouring Abbey House Gardens, once home to the Naked Gardeners and famed for its clothes optional days. The founders of Whim Hospitality, Camp Lucy and Tillie’s Restaurant in Dripping Springs, Texas say they are exceptionally thrilled to take on the sites. They are regular visitors to the town which has been the Hanks family ancestral home since before 1500. Pioneering Malmesbury industrialist, Walter Hanks, operated a mill below The Old Bell Hotel on the River Avon in the late 1100’s.