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Gloucestershire Business News

EXCLUSIVE: Business as usual as fire hits Cotswold hotel

A historic hotel that has become a firm favourite on the Cotswold Way and which boasts a long list of famous visitors is celebrating a quick 48-hour turnaround and return to full business after fire swept through its kitchens and forced the inn to close.

The 17th century Swan Hotel, on Market Street in Wotton-under-Edge, called the town's fire crew out on Monday evening just as the venue was celebrating the conclusion of the town's annual Blues Festival.

David Harrison, landlord for the Grade II-listed coaching inn said: "I'm afraid our kitchen will be closed for a day or two until further notice. I would like to thank all the team on tonight for remaining calm and helping control the safety of our customers, guests and themselves during the evacuation."

He also thanked the town's fire brigade for its swift response from its base in nearby Symn Lane and said it was working to contact restaurant bookings which it would be unable to fulfill over the following 48 hours.

However, yesterday evening the hotel told followers on social media: "After a day of deep cleaning, we have passed all safety checks and we are pleased to say we are open! Thank you to the staff that worked so hard to get the kitchen back to the high standard we are proud of, you are fabulous."

The hotel added that it would operate a reduced menu while the kitchen gets back up to speed, but that it could still cater with "an amazing selection of home cooked food for all dietary requirements".

In recent years, Mr Harrison has been investing in a refurbishment for the Swan, which has seen an upgrade to existing rooms with additional accommodation added.

To glowing reviews online, the hotel now offers 15 rooms and TripAdvisor's summary of feedback states: "The Swan Hotel garners praise for its immaculately clean rooms and charming atmosphere, with many guests appreciating the quirky decor and welcoming vibe."

As a hotel and a destination restaurant the address can lay claim to many illustrious names in its guest book, including Holywood actors Rex Harrison, David Niven and Vincent Price as well as British TV celebrities Dick Emery, Wendy Craig and Jean Alexander, who played Coronation Street's legendary Hilda Ogden.

The history website Gloucestershire Pubs states: "When the BBC were recording the radio programme Any Questions in Wotton-under-Edge, David Jacobs and his guests Margaret Thatcher and Sheila Hancock enjoyed a meal in The Swan, as did the Two Ronnies when they were recording their Two Old Men sketch at Berkeley Castle".

● The Swan's age-old reputation was built by the arrival of train passengers at nearby Charfield railway station in the 1900s; as with many Wotton businesses, its future viability could be boosted by the re-opening of the station on the Bristol-Gloucester line, which is now pencilled for spring 2027.

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