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Ex-Judas Priest Guitarist Developing Luxury Hotel on His English Estate

Posted on Jan 23rd 2012 5:40PM by Kenneth Partridge Comments

Janette Pellegrini, Getty Images

Now that he's no longer a member of Judas Priest -- the band he left last April after 40 years of righteous shredding -- guitarist K.K. Downing has plenty of time for his other passion: high-end real estate. According to the Shopshire News, the metal maven is looking to develop his 320-acre estate in Bridgnorth, England, and transform the property into a top-flight leisure facility.

Downing already runs his own golf course, and he's reportedly looking to add a 63-room hotel, spa, restaurant and indoor swimming pool. He's in talks with investors, and now that the economy seems to be improving, he's hoping to move ahead with plans later this year.

"I'm 60 years old now, so I really want to get things completed -- that's always been the endgame," Downing said.

"When it comes to the vision, I know exactly what I want to do, but once we develop the hotel and leisure side of things, I'll need to bring in professionals to run the operation, because it's impossible to do it on your own," he added.

The veteran axman says he aims to create a "flagship sports and leisure facility" that will raise the profile of Bridgnorth and its surrounding areas.

"I have spent most of my own personal fortune on this," he said. "It's been hard work but also rewarding and enjoyable to see it grow and grow, but I'm now keen to speed up the process."

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