TV man swops Brookie for new hotel venture

The Leeds office of agent Christie & Co has sold the Five Rise Locks Hotel in Beck Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, on behalf of Pat and William Oxley to Lin and Stuart Doughty, at the asking price of £625,000. The Oxleys had owned and operated the business since 1996 and are now looking for a more rural outlet. Five Rise Locks is a first-time hotel venture for the Doughtys, who are pursuing a change of lifestyle. Stuart is leaving his career as a television producer with the BBC. He has previously worked on Brookside, Emmerdale and Heartbeat. The Five Rise Locks is a beautifully-appointed hotel with superb views across the Aire Valley Originally named as Hall Bank, the residence of local mill owner George Aked, in 1875, the three-storey stone property stands close to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the well known Five Rise Locks staircase, built in the 1770s. The hotel briefly comprises nine en-suite letting bedrooms, a restaurant, a bar lounge, a conference room and three-bedroom owner's accommodation. It currently holds a Four-Diamond rating from the English Tourism Council and a Sparkling Diamond Award, as well as a Dining Award from the RAC. Its restaurant, which opened to the public in the spring of 2000, has established an excellent reputation locally. When Lin Doughty called the Leeds office of Christie & Co in June this year, she described, to associate director Leigh Parsons, her ideal business: "A small, up-market hotel with a quality catering operation in a good business location". Leigh immediately advised her to view the Five Rise Locks Hotel, which perfectly fitted her requirements. The Doughtys took this advice and subsequently made an offer of the full asking price. Parsons comments: "I was only too pleased to have placed Lin and Stuart in a business that was ideal for them and wish them all the best for the future. "They intend to make no immediate changes to the style of the business other than to gradually put their own stamp' on the hotel.