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21
May
Ripon pub to reopen tomorrow
A well-known Ripon pub is set to reopen tomorrow (May 22).
The Stray Ferret revealed in March that the South Lodge, on Harrogate Road, was to be refurbished at a cost of £360,000 and reopened under new management.
The pub has closed and reopened several times since Heineken-owned firm Star Pubs advertised for a tenant in May 2023.
The venue closed abruptly in February 2024 after police seized suspected drugs.
It subsequently reopened under new management only to close again.
Now Angela Shallcross has been appointed as the pub’s new landlady.
The inside and the outside of the of pub has been refurbished and an 84-person outdoor seating area has been created.
New high definition televisions, a pool table and a darts board have been installed.
Burgers and grilled food will be sold alongside ‘world flavours’ and ‘home comforts’, while a selection of beer, cider, wine and cocktails will also be offered.
Live sport will be shown in the pub.
The renovated interior. Photo: The South Lodge Ripon on Facebook.
Photo: The South Lodge Ripon on Facebook.
Dave Fittall, co-tenant and partner of Ms Shallcross, told the Stray Ferret he was confident the new management could make the venture a success.
He said:
I’m 1,000% confident. We’ve got the backing of Heineken for a reason. Myself, Angela and Tasha [Townend, an assistant manager at pubs the three had previously worked at] have plenty of experience running pubs.
We want this to be the big hub of the community like it used to be. We’re actively looking to start darts and pool teams and host tournaments.
Since the article went out saying that it was being refurbed, we’ve had so many positive comments. People just want their local back.
Angela Shallcross outside the South Lodge.
Mr Fittall added that, despite the pub’s recent history, locals were extremely positive about its reopening.
He said they were fully committed to the safety of customers and that new CCTV and monitoring systems had been installed.
The South Lodge will reopen tomorrow at 12pm. Opening hours will be 12pm-11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday, with the pub opening until 12am on Friday and Saturday.
The kitchen will open from 12pm-3pm then 5pm-8pm from Monday to Thursday, and from 12pm-8pm from Friday to Sunday.
The pub currently employs nine members of staff but is looking to increase that in the future.
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