The new owner of a former Angus hotel with its roots in the 18th Century has vowed to restore it to its former glory.
The Royal Hotel in Forfar closed in 2010 and was left to decay as a procession of interested parties passed on the chance to buy.
Once owned by Oxford Inns, water damage and lack of care and attention had made the Castle Street premises unattractive to prospective buyers.
Donald Stewart has said the dilapidated interior would “not have made it through another winter” if it remained empty.
Mr Stewart, the publican behind the Old Mason’s Arms and Bar Central, bought the premises from Bespoke Hotels for an undisclosed sum and took possession of the keys on Friday.
“The previous owners just let the place go,” he said.
“It’s been asset stripped and there’s nothing left of the hotel as it was.
“This was the last chance to do something with this building. It would not have lasted another winter.”
Scaffolding will go up this week and restoration of the hotel’s faade will be followed by the reopening of its nightclub and bar, with dreams of hotel rooms on the horizon.
“Eventually it’s going to be a hotel again and we’ll have to see how things go,” said Mr Stewart.
“We will get the nightclub operating and then go into the main building for the function suite, then the gymnasium and the spa.”
The Royal Hotel went under the hammer in October last year with a £200,000 reserve price, but failed to sell.
Once the cornerstone of the hospitality industry in the town, it can trace its roots back to the 1700s, when it was a coaching inn.
The building boasts a swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, function and nightclub facilities and at one time had 20 full and part-time staff.
No date has been set for the nightclub’s reopening.