A HOTEL is set to be reborn as a haven for plane enthusiasts after the new owner bought two Sixties ex-military aircraft to display in the grounds.

The Essex County Hotel, in Aviation Way, Southend, was bought by Leigh businessman Andreas Stavrinides for more than £2million in February, and is currently undergoing a complete refurbishment.

Mr Stavrinides, 60, who will run the hotel with his children Christina, Anna and Anthony, bought two ex-Australian RAF Hawker Siddeley propeller-driven aircraft, and the family hope they will become an integral part of the hotel and could even be used for weddings.

Christina, 33, said they had found it so exciting to see the planes for the first time, they felt like children again, and added: “We had never sat in the cockpit of a plane before, so we are very excited about them.

“Not only because we are keeping a piece of history, but because they will make an interesting experience for people at the hotel.”

The 44-seater planes had been kept at Southend Airport by their previous owner, who sold them after he was unable to source the right parts to get them airborne again.

It is believed one of the planes once carried the Queen when an aircraft strike left her unable to return to the UK.

One of the aircraft could now be reinvented as a wedding venue.

Christina said: “We thought it could be an elaborate and eccentric place for people to get married, so we want to get a marriage licence once the hotel is up and running.

“Throwing a bouquet from the top of the aircraft steps would be something quite different!”

The two planes will be lifted into place by crane on Monday at the 74-bed hotel, which will be renamed the Skylark Hotel when it reopens this winter.

Miss Stavrinides, who will give up her job as a London secondary school teacher once the hotel is open, said: “We decided to change the name because a skylark is a type of glider as well as a bird, and because we are next to the airport we thought it would be a good name.

“Also, Southend has a lot of skylarks so it’s a local bird too.

“These two facts made it a great name.”