New lease of life for the Star and Garter Hotel in Linlithgow

The much-loved hotel is currently being marketed for lease with an annual rent of £50,000.

A 250-year-old, three-storey georgian mansion house, the property was transformed into a coaching inn – and bestowed its current name – in 1847.

Agent Josh Hill said: “The landlord is seeking an operator willing to commit to the business; in return they will offer a new lease on attractive terms, as well as invest in the building alongside any new tenant.

“The town is also eager to see one of its most prominent buildings brought back to trade.

“The Star and Garter is suited to an operator with experience in the trade, a dynamic team or individual with an eye for quality and detail to bring it back to the successful trading business it once was.”

With tourism playing a key role in the lifeblood of the town, additional hotel accommodation will also be welcomed by visitors.

The second floor is home to five en-suite rooms, all of which are already fully furnished and require minimal investment.

It also boasts a 100+ cover restaurant and bar, cafe, function hall with its own bar and beer garden.

Josh added: “When operating previously, the restaurant featured a traditional Scottish menu, range of beers and ales, as well as cocktails.

“In the evenings there was various forms of live entertainment and the function suite upstairs was booked out most weekends.”

To find out more, visit https://scottishbusinessagency.co.uk.

The Star and Garter has a long and proud history in the town, having been built back in 1759.

It has witnessed much of the town’s growth in the 265 years since and has its own stories to tell too.

The hotel was razed to the ground in a fire in October 2010, leaving the dilapidated shell empty for two years.

Local property developer Ross Wilkie and his childhood friend David Kennedy stepped in and spent almost £1 million to rescue it.

It was so badly damaged, they were able to buy the premises for just £160,000 but it took another £800,000 to bring it back to its former glory. After 15 months of renovation, Mr Wilkie became the family hotel’s new landlord in 2013.

In November 2015, the hotel once again went on the market with a price tag of £1 million.

A year later, in December 2016, it was announced that Manorview Hotels and Leisure Group had added the Star and Garter Hotel to its ever-expanding portfolio.

In February 2022, the hotel hit the headlines again when it appeared on the popular Channel 4 show, Four in a Bed. The premise’s then managers Denise and Carina Powley from Armadale hoped to be crowned the best B&B but, sadly, had to pull out of the show due to illness.

While it has been closed for some time, Manorview Hotels and Leisure Group remains the licence holder and is keen to see the Star and Garter re-open – investing in the property along with the new tenant.

Conceived in the same year as Scotland’s National Bard, Robert Burns, 2009 marked the 250th anniversary of the poet’s birth and the building that sits at 1 High Street.

The original house boasted six bedrooms and a stately ballroom but, in the 1840s, it was transformed into a public house. Now, it looks set to write another chapter in its history.