41-year love affair results in Essex hotel purchase

The reopening of the Drapers Hotel has put new life into Earls Colne in Essex.

June Jemmett was just 19 when she first had a drink at a wine bar, now known as the Drapers Hotel, in the High Street. Forty-one years later, she is now the proud owner with her sons, Wesley and Lawrence.  

“Like most of the village, I’ve always had affection for the hotel throughout the years,” said June, who has lived in the Essex village for more than forty years and used to work in finance in the City. “I celebrated my 19th birthday here. It holds a lot of memories.”

On the market with Fenn Wright, June said she was ‘tempted’ as soon as she saw the sale boards outside the hotel, but admits she had a little persuading to do.  

“When it first came on the market, I phoned one of my sons and said ‘let’s do it. Are you tempted?’ But he said ‘No way!’ Then a few months later, when I was working on regulatory changes in financial services, I decided to pick up the phone and book a viewing for that night. My son, who had a pub at the time, reluctantly came with me – and we were sold. We put in an offer the next day.”

The bar area has been given a make-over and is now open to customers, with bar food being served. They hope to have the restaurant open by mid-August, with new kitchen equipment being installed, and some of the hotel bedrooms are in use with a few being refurbished. 

June added: “We want to lovingly restore it to how it used to be – how I remember it. We have had so much support from the village, and our diary is beginning to fill up with bookings. It is an exciting time for us.”

The sale of the Drapers Hotel completes a trio of significant sales for Fenn Wright’s commercial team in Colchester. 

As well as the hotel, which was on the market for £675,000, the team also sold the freehold of a listed building on Crouch Street, Colchester.  Newly refurbished, the contemporary retail unit with a courtyard is now available to rent through Fenn Wright for £30,000 a year. 

Another significant sale was Broomfield Park in Coggeshall Road, Earls Colne. Made up of two buildings, these office premises, on the market for £595,000, have been bought by a local company looking to expand.  

Fenn Wright’s Steven Donnelly from Colchester’s commercial division, said: “Despite recent political uncertainty and the onset of Brexit negotiations, overall business confidence in the east remains determinedly positive. Interest rates remain at historically low levels and importantly funding is still fluid. 

“These factors combined with the persistent shortage of good quality properties across all sectors of the commercial property market, and in particular across the development and investment sectors, make this a very busy time for the commercial property market. 

“With our expert market knowledge and correct pricing, we will continue to take advantage of the current buoyant market conditions.”  

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