Vicarage puts faith in the old

The Old Vicarage Hotel at Holmes Chapel will operate once more under its original name ­ Ye Olde Vicarage ­ following a recent sale. The new owners, Tim and Alison Maunder, bought the hotel for just under the £1.2m asking price. Chris Moore, of Robert Barry & Co (Manchester office), said the hotel was sold on behalf of Lorna and Luis Barbera, who had been there for over 15 years. "As its name implies, the three-star hotel has been converted from the original 18th-century vicarage on the banks of the River Dane. With smart modern extensions, the hotel has 29 bedrooms and a superb position within a couple of miles of Junction 18 and the M6 motorway on the main A50 Knutsford to Stoke Road." The new owners, who have experience of running their own hotel ­Plas Yr Eifl Country House Hotel Trefor Car (12 miles from Abersoc) ­ have exciting plans for the future, Tim Maunder said: "We have begun to refurbish a number of bedrooms, including the bridal suite, and plan to build a function room.