A building in Abingdon which remained empty for almost a decade is about to reopen as a boutique hotel.

Ede Homes bought Old Abbey House near Waitrose about two years ago for £927,000 from Vale of White Horse District Council.

The 27-bedroom hotel will open next month following a revamp which cost £3.5m.

For years residents in the town called for the building to be brought back into use as it became more and more dilapidated.

READ MORE: Opening date revealed for popular village pub

But now it has been restored by a team of experts and features including fire places, mantelpieces and a wooden staircase have been repaired.

Oxford Mail: Alice Ede, of Ede Homes, said: "Old Abbey House Hotel is a 27 bedroom boutique hotel located in the heart of Abingdon, harmonising traditional charm of this lovingly restored 18th century building, alongside chic modern amenities.

"We are hoping to open doors middle of October.

"Each of the rooms are individually designed with 15 of the rooms having stylish kitchenettes, allowing for longer stays.

"Guests can also choose the option of garden view rooms which overlook the picturesque Abbey Gardens.

Oxford Mail: The stair case at Old Abbey House"There is a wide variety of accommodation available; from cosy doubles, twin rooms, king rooms, a family room and deluxe suites.

"We have restored period features such as fireplaces, mantelpieces, the wooden staircase and stain glass windows.

Oxford Mail: A bedroom at Old Abbey House"We will not be offering food services at the property.

"However, we will be encouraging guests to make the most of the wide array of local businesses and restaurants in the local area."

Operations manager Sian King added that a lot of work had gone into the project to ensure that the original features and the charm of the building shone through.

READ MORE: Pub visited by Kate Moss gets low food hygiene score 

The building first began life as the home of a prominent local businessman called James Smallbone in the 1780s.

Oxford Mail: A bedroom at Old Abbey HouseIt was also once home to the Bishop of Reading.

Ede Homes has already opened 192 in Oxford’s Iffley Road, and work has begun on converting the former Victoria Hotel in Abingdon Road into the 38-room Edge Hotel.

The company has also bought the historic Feathers Hotel in Woodstock, and is due to start a £1.5m restoration early next year.

The council sold Old Abbey House after concluding that keeping the building in public ownership would be unsustainable due to spiralling maintenance costs.

At one stage there were hopes from some that the building could be repurposed as a community facility with town resident Julie Kelly setting up a petition to save the house and use it as the ‘village hall’.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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