Former staff buy historic Devon inn from Heavitree
Two former employees have bought the Grade II-listed Old Rydon Inn at Kingsteignton from Heavitree Brewery, which is withdrawing from the managed house sector.
The former farmhouse, which is on the outskirts of Newton Abbot close to the A38 , is packed with period details such as nooks and crannies, arches, alcoves, low-beamed ceilings, panelled walls, and open fireplaces.
Facilities include a 14-seat main bar, an 18-seat mezzanine, a 26-seat second lounge and eight-seat function room (both with inglenooks), a 15-seat Garden Room, and the split-level 52-seat conservatory that overlooks the gardens.
There is also an owners' flat on the first floor with two double bedrooms.
Outside, the business has a walled, lawned garden with seating for 76, a 35-bay car park and a private car park, and a barn with planning permission for conversion into two two-bed and one one-bed units.
New owners, chefs Charlie and Amy Tinnyunt, worked respectively at the South Devon freehouse as a chef in 1994 and as a waitress in 1998. The couple have been running the Dolphin Bar and Restaurant in Dartmouth for the past three years, where they boosted turnover from £240,000 to more than £360,000 by their second year.
Charlie has also worked at the Devonshire Arms hotel in Skipton, Rick Stein's Seafood restaurant in Padstow, Bovey Castle and Cornwall's Allenbury hotel.
Bettesworths Licensed Property Agents sold the freehold on the business, which achieves a gross weekly turnover of £4,500, off a guide price of £595,000.
By Angela Frewin
