DESCRIBED as ‘one of the prettiest’ Georgian properties in the South West, Launceston’s Eagle House Hotel is set to reopen to the public next week.

Since recent planning permission was secured by the previous owners to change the use from hotel to residential, which was met with opposition locally, the hotel has been bought by Bill and Rebecca Perry of Lawhitton.

Opening on April 5 from 11am, the Eagle House will welcome the public for morning coffee, light lunches, cream teas, evening meals, and will be available to book for afternoon teas, and functions including weddings, funeral teas/wakes, and meetings.

Michelle Clark has been appointed manageress, and Matt Lesslie has been appointed head chef.

Michelle, who fondly remembers visits to the Eagle House on history trips as a school child, is from a chef background with an in-depth knowledge of the hotel trade — she has been involved with hotels for 15 years. Her partner Tony Belringer is helping her with the running of Eagle House.

Matt has been a chef since he was 18, taught by his mother, and his background is also hotels — while at the Moorland Garden Hotel at Yelverton the hotel won the best afternoon tea in Devon, and now Matt says he wants to do ‘the best cream tea in Cornwall’ at the Eagle House.

As well as cream teas at the Eagle House, afternoon teas will be able to be booked in advance, with homemade éclairs, homemade cakes, sandwiches and homemade scones.

The Eagle House will be open seven days a week from 11am on April 5. In the morning guests and visitors can enjoy morning coffee, light lunches will be served from noon to 2.30pm, and evening meals from 5.30pm to 9pm. Afternoon teas will be served from 2.30pm to 5pm, but must be booked in advance. Cream teas will be served all day.

There are 14 bedrooms with work underway by local tradespeople to refresh them and bring them up to date.

Bill said: “We are aiming to build a good rapport with our customers and will be open for the community and guests who are staying with us.

“Everywhere we have been all around Devon and Cornwall we have met people who have fond memories of Eagle House.

“We would like to create more memories for the future.”

Rebecca is a commercial artist who has worked all over the world and has enjoyed refurbishing the interior of the hotel. They decided to buy the hotel on a visit to Launceston, where she said Bill had ‘a trip down memory lane’ talking to one of the previous owners.

She remarked that Eagle House is once again under the ownership of farmers, and said she hopes it is a ‘good omen’! She added: “We hope we can benefit the town, that people who stay here will visit the other businesses.

“We’ve heard of a local couple getting married because it’s opening! People have been very kind. We really would like to thank the town for their tremendous amount of support and good wishes — it’s been really lovely.

“This is the new chapter.”