Guest house downturn due to “horrendous budget”
09/09/2025
Easington House dates back to the 17th century
The owners of a Banbury Guest House have applied to convert their property into a house, blaming the “horrendous budget” last October for a downturn in their business.
Easington House, on the Oxford Road, was originally a farmhouse dating back to the 17th century and part of the Easington Estate. It became a large house in its own right as parts of the estate were sold off. Previous owners are believed to include The Bishop of Lincoln, The Reverend Risley Cotton and George Washington’s nephew.
For a number of years the Grade II listed property has operated as a guest house, currently with 14 bedrooms.
In an application to change the use of the property from a Guest House to a Dwelling House, the owners highlighted the factors that had led them to their decision.
They said: “To confirm for the last few years our profit margins have become more and more squeezed, mainly due to utility costs literally quadrupling in the last 3 years, but additionally business rates now increasing and of course staff wages and NI/Pension increased costs.
“Laundry costs, food costs, booking fee costs, card processing payment costs and of course the ongoing maintenance costs on a listed building.
“We had just about been holding up until the horrendous budget in October last year at which point our trade literally halved over night. Sadly Easington House is no longer viable for us in its current format, hence our request for a change of use application.”
The planning application is due to be decided by early October. In the meantime the property is being marketed for sale by Fine & Country, Birmingham with a guide price of £1,750,000.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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