THE ICONIC St Augustine Villa at Ventnor Cascades has been bought by a new family — and they have exciting plans.

Having launched The Terrace, Yarmouth, in 2020 along with their family The Keens, Ashley and Tom Fahey have today acquired the hotel to launch The Terrace Rooms, Ventnor.

The couple will be working with Acorn Interiors to complete a nine-month restoration program of the building, creating a six bedroom guest house and twelve-seat dining pergola.

They said: “St Augustine Villa is one of the Isle of Wight’s most iconic buildings. We are over the moon to have the opportunity to restore it and will be 100 per cent focused on showing respect for its history, locality and community.

"We’ve partnered with Acorn because Alan and Tanya share our passion for the highest standards of design and promoting the Isle of Wight as a national destination for modern hospitality.

"Our project is designed to be low-key and non-disruptive — a tiny restaurant, a handful of rooms and a dedicated wine cave.

"We will be creating four new jobs from April 2022 but the focus of the project is on restoration as opposed to change — enhancing The Esplanade and Shore Hill rather than raising visitor numbers or traffic volumes.

“Bob and Esme Williamson have been amazing custodians of the building these past 20 years and have been so kind and thoughtful in sharing its history and their memories with us.

"When we opened The Terrace in Yarmouth it was always our goal to respect and listen to the local community. Similarly, in Ventnor, we absolutely welcome contact regarding questions, ideas or thoughts on the project and our goals for the building and business.”

Tom has been a restaurant inspector for UK guidebooks since 2008 while Ashley is a trained chef and hotel manager.

Together they act as general managers of The Terrace, Yarmouth and are excited to bring the brand’s values of care for staff, guests and community in equal measure to Ventnor.