A prominent hotel, spa and conference centre in Wroughton has closed its doors for good.

In January the venue announced its upcoming closure, citing rising energy bills becoming too high to deal with. 

And just over a month later, the hotel's final day of opening has come along, with the doors closing for the final time at 10pm on Wednesday, February 28. 

To mark the occasion, an email was sent out to members of the building's leisure facilities by leisure supervisor Anna Crisp, thanking them for their custom. 

It said: "I just wanted to send a message to thank you all for your loyalty to Alexandra House Leisure Club and for all the support of the last year and a bit.

"I'm not alone in saying that we will miss seeing you all from day to day.

"Today is the last day to use the facilities, they will be closed tonight at 10pm."

Anna added: "Once again, thank you for being with me on this journey, and some of you, since I started at Alexandra House on reception just over 13 years ago. It's been a wonderful experience and one I will remember always."

News first broke about the venue's plight on January 9 when members received an email informing them that the hotel, including a gym and swimming pool, would be closing within weeks.  

In the email statement, a spokesperson for Alexandra House said: "We regret to announce that Alexandra House, including the leisure club, will be closing on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. 

"Despite exploring all possible alternatives, due to ongoing high operational and energy costs, it is no longer financially viable for us to continue running the site.

This unexpected news left members in the lurch, and others who had arranged to have their wedding at the venue later in the year had to scramble to make alternative arrangements for their special days.

The loss of Alexandra House will be a blow to Swindon as a whole, as it was a well-used space for meetings, conferences and conventions with several local organisations choosing it to host their functions and events.

It contained 14 meeting rooms, 151 bedrooms that could sleep 240 people, as well as a gym, spa, sauna, steam room, pool, jacuzzi and tennis courts.

It was also a big employer and its closure leaves workers needing to find new jobs.