Heartwood Collection adds two new sites to its portfolio

The two new inns will both include overnight accommodation and will increase the group’s pub with rooms offer by a combined 69 bedrooms.

The Rope & Anchor, formerly the Brookfield Hotel, in Emsworth, Hampshire, and The Coat & Bear in Newbury, Berkshire, have joined the group as part of its plans to grow to more than 60 inns and brasseries by June 2027 with an estate of more than 500 bedrooms.

The existing hotel site will undergo a ‘significant refurbishment’ to create a pub with a dining room and 43 boutique bedrooms. In line with the transformation of the hotel into an inn, the hotel will be renamed The Rope & Anchor in reference to Emsworth’s coastal location.

The traditional 200-cover pub space will feature a central island bar and snugs and a large dining space to the rear.

The newly-named The Coat & Bear is a new-build property with a listed Regency-era frontage on Bartholomew Street in Newbury. It will have a spacious dining room with space for around 160 seats and 26 bedrooms.

“The acquisition of these two fantastic sites serves to underline our ambition as a Group and the momentum we are building. Emsworth and Newbury are both markets we know really well and have been monitoring for some time in the hope of securing the right locations for Heartwood Inns,” says managing director Richard Ferrier.

“Across both acquisitions, we are adding a further 69 bedrooms to Heartwood Inns. When added to the pubs with rooms we have already acquired, this takes us to over 150 bedrooms in the Group.

“We are continuing to look for further freehold pubs and pubs with rooms to add to Heartwood Inns with our ambition being to reach 500 bedrooms by June 2027. It’s an incredibly exciting time for us with 2024 set to be a transformational one for the group.”