Kray-linked Kent hotel on the market

A Kent hotel that once had connections with the infamous Kray brothers at the height of their notoriety has been put on the market.

The Russell Hotel in Penenden Heath, Maidstone, has been put on the market by its current owners with a price tag of £2.75 million. The elegant Victorian building was used as The Sacred Heart convent and school until the early 1970s, when it was sold, deconsecrated and converted into a hotel.

Local people have said that the business was well known to have had connections with the East End-born gangland brothers, but Maidstone town centre manager Bill Moss said that the extent of their involvement was unclear and seems to have been lost to history.

"A long time back the Krays had a financial interest in that building and mum Violet would sometimes stay there while on visits to Reggie in Maidstone prison," Moss told the Kent Messenger.

The freehold of the hotel is being marketed through the Tonbridge branch of Christie and Co. Andrew Moore, from Christies, explained, "The present owner does say the building once had a connection with the Krays but it was such a long time ago and nobody knows precisely."

The three-star hotel has 42 rooms and has operated as a branch of Best Western Hotels. It has facilities including conferencing and banqueting suites, landscaped gardens and car parking.