A HOTEL which dates back more than 500 years has been to sold.

The Black Swan Hotel in Helmsley, in North Yorkshire, has been bought by The Inn Collection Group, which plans to invest in the property, which retains Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian architecture.

Sean Donkin, managing director for The Inn Collection, said: “A full investment project is planned which will treat the building with the sensitivity it deserves.

"We chose the site, as Helmsley long been a target opportunity and The Black Swan is a landmark site.”

David Lee, regional director at Christie & Co, which sold the property on behalf of its owners, said: "This is a truly iconic hotel, well known and highly respected across Yorkshire and we are sure that the new owners will elevate its status even further.

"The sale further illustrates the demand for hotels of this magnitude across the county and the wider North-East region.”

The hotel has 45 rooms, an award-winning restaurant, tearoom and patisserie and landscaped walled garden.