THE future of two of Droitwich’s most iconic hotels – the Chateau Impney and the Raven – is hanging in the balance after the company behind them went into administrative receivership.

Receivers BDO LLP were called in to take over the running of the Impney Group Limited last week.

The company will continue to trade while looking for buyers for both hotels but 45 of the hotels’ 128 staff have already been made redundant.

The Chateau Impney – built in a classic French renaissance style – is one of the most recognisable landmarks seen from the A38 on the approach to the town. It was built in 1875 by John Corbett, the town’s Salt King, as a present for his French wife.

Three thousand men worked to construct the mansion and 155 acres of parkland with lakes, waterfalls and more than 3,000 varieties of trees.

Its sister hotel, the Raven, off St Andrew’s Street, is a 16th-century black and white building at the heart of the town.The hotels were put up for sale two years ago for a combined price of £33.5 million although the price was dropped this summer. Your Worcester News understands the price expectations of the owners were believed to be beyond the market price and could now fall again.

Kim Rayment, business restructuring partner at BDO LLP, was appointed joint administrative re-ceiver with Toby Under-wood, on Monday, Novem-ber 23.

He said: “Both hotels are continuing to trade and I am hopeful of securing a sale, which would protect these long established renowned businesses as well as preserving jobs.”

Administrative receivership is where an insolvency practitioner is appointed by a party – typically a bank which is owed money – to find the best way to get its money back.