North Stoke: Famous Springs hotel to close

An Oxfordshire hotel once owned by Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan is to close.

Svenia and Paul Franklin, current owners of the Springs hotel at North Stoke, near Wallingford, blamed the cost of maintaining the building for the demise of the business.

The 32-bedroom hotel, which features a guitar-shaped swimming pool, will close in the autumn but the golf club at the site will continue to operate, according to reports.

Svenia Franklin said that the decision to close the hotel had not been taken lightly and was influenced by several factors.

“The hotel industry has struggled over the past few years,” she said. “We have persevered, but sadly it is a market in which we can no longer compete. Our costs are continuously increasing and one of the main factors is that we are working with a very old building whose condition is deteriorating."

Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan bought the mock Tudor building in 1973 for £100,000 and invested £443,000 of his own money into its restoration.

The Franklins bought the property in 1995.