Emerson snaps up The Last Drop

The Last Drop Village Hotel – a popular venue for weddings, craft fairs and other community events on the outskirts of Bolton – has been sold to Alderley Edge-based Emerson Group for £4.25m.

The 128-bedroom hotel has 13 conference rooms, two bars, a restaurant and 400 parking spaces in addition to an extensive spa, leisure facilities and eight small shops.

Emerson – one of the largest privately owned property development companies in the UK – is part of the same group as Orbit Developments and Jones Homes.

The Last Drop’s origins date back to 1964 when it was Orrell Fold Farm – no more than a collection of derelict moorland farm buildings – and formed the nucleus of a restaurant and hotel project by entrepreneur Carton Walker.

Hollywood star James Mason famously stayed there during the filming of the movie Spring and Port Wine in 1969.

In 2006, then owner Macdonald Hotels invested £1.1m on a refurbishment to lure a buyer.

Mercure took over running of the complex from the Macdonald Hotels group who had sold it to investment firm Moorfield Group back in 2007.

The hotel was put on the market back in 2014, at a guide price of £3m.