A couple who transformed a grotty hotel and bar into a five-star bed and breakfast worth £1.3 million say the time has come to sell up.

Mark and Leigh Nevill ditched their London lifestyle to take over what was then known as Langhorne Garden Hotel and Harvey’s Wine Bar in Folkestone in 2014.

Having rebranded the hotel as 10to12 and removed ‘Wine Bar’ from Harvey’s name, the pair have seen their ventures come on leaps and bounds – but now say the time is right to retire.

Mr Nevill, 65, said: “We’ve decided now is probably the time that we want to sell if we can; we’re definitely staying in Folkestone as we love it but it’s time to move on.

“Ten years into it and it’s been great but I’m at retirement age now. We want to have more downtime, especially since Covid.

“Because of the way we operate, a new owner can do as much or as little as they want here – that's the beauty of it.

“There’s room to expand so it's just really a case of hopefully someone can see the potential in the place.“

Believed to have been built in the 1870s, it took months of renovations to bring the building in Langhorne Gardens – which incorporates three properties along the terrace – up to scratch.

Work included a complete overhaul of the layout of floors to reduce the number of rooms and new wallpaper, decor, bathrooms and carpets throughout.

Accolades for the hard work put in at the establishment include a spot in the Michelin Guide since 2016, a five-star rating on TripAdvisor and a place on The Telegraph’s list of the best hotels in Kent.

It remains the couple’s only leisure and hospitality property – though Mr Nevill worked in corporate events and his wife was a PA for Citibank in Canary Wharf before their change in career.

“There was so much work that had to be done upstairs, it was a mess and it was really just like a workman's hotel,” said Mrs Nevill.

“It was really just horrendous, but it’s such a fascinating building.

“They’re tall and skinny Victorian buildings, we’ve done a lot to turn it around.

“It's a great location and, to be honest, we didn't realise how good it was until we got here.”

Listed on Rightmove by Sidney Phillips, the property has been given the valuation of £1.3 million and will be sold as a “turnkey opportunity for [a] hands-on or hands-off owner”.

Though marketed as a 14-bed hotel, there are currently 12 rooms in operation with the potential to expand to the top floor – which is currently used as storage.

Harvey’s, which used to be known as Norfolk Cellar Bar and Harvey’s Wine Bar, now boasts sports TV subscriptions, pool and darts, an outdoor terrace and is a 100% wet-led pub.

Coming with a bad reputation when it was bought, the pair admitted drastic changes had to be made to begin with.

“It's now a nice safe space, our staff are lovely and we have people compliment us on it when they realise the difference,” Mr Nevill said.

While the bar is open daily, the hotel side of the venture only operates three to four days a week – though this is by choice rather than restriction.

Sold as a virtual freehold, the building is technically sited on land with a long leasehold with more than 100 years remaining and a ground rent of £350 a year.

All maintenance is carried out by the building’s owners.

Sidney Phillips has called it “a unique opportunity to purchase a multi-faceted business covering two areas of the leisure and hospitality sector”.

“The pub is a self-sufficient business, operated on a day to day basis by a highly competent small team of staff,” said the firm.

“10to12 and Harvey’s would suit a hands-on owner operator who could continue to develop these already well-established turnkey businesses.

“Alternatively, 10to12 and Harvey’s would suit a hands-off owner who could run the businesses under management.”