Lease of Borders pub taken to task by TV hotel inspector Alex Polizzi now up for grabs

The Horse and Hound at Bonchester Bridge closed for a week in June after coming in for criticism on Channel 5 reality TV programme The Hotel Inspector.

The pink-painted pub, a coaching inn dating back to 1701, has been a distinctive landmark on the A6088 for decades, but TV inspector Alex Polizzi was left decidedly unimpressed when she paid a visit to the nine-bedroom hotel last spring.

The premises had recently been taken over by novice hoteliers Rosa and Daniel Callen, both in their early 20s, after being bought by the former’s father, London photographic agency boss Charles Taylor.

And it quickly became apparent to Ms Polizzi that Rosa wasn’t too enthusiastic about being handed the reins of the business.

Her visit was curtailed after the couple rejected the inspector’s advice – the first time that had happened in the TV show’s 10-year history.

Now, it’s available for a £27,500 leasehold premium and rent of £25,000 a year.

Marketed by Glasgow-based specialist surveyor CDLH, it is described as being in an “idyllic countryside setting located approximately six miles from Hawick and Jedburgh”.

Its property report adds: “It is a substantial premises with characterful public bar, games room, large restaurant, fully-fitted commercial kitchen, nine letting bedrooms and an owner’s flat.”

No one at the Horse and Hound was available for comment.

For details, go to www.cdlh.co.uk/properties/view/horse_and_hound