By Kirsten Robertson Kim and Whit Hanks are the new owners for the Old Bell Hotel and Abbey House and Gardens in Malmesbury 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.