The Newton House Hotel in Knaresborough has rebranded as Orchard Club.
The 12-bedroom hotel, which is situated in a grade II listed building on York Place, was acquired by Lamb and Flag Enterprise Ltd after former owner Denise Carter retired in 2022.
The rebrand is part of a wider plan to create meeting rooms and other facilities for guests and residents, as well as accommodation.
The Newton House Hotel in Knaresborough has rebranded as Orchard Club.
A spokesperson for Orchard Club said:
“The rebrand was prompted by a desire to see the beautiful buildings in York Place improved and utilised further. It’s part of a long-term strategy on the part of Orchard Club to provide enhanced facilities for Knaresborough.
“Over time, the hope is to create additional bedrooms, a café/bistro and spaces available for community hire.”
One of the redecorated rooms in Orchard Club.
They added:
“The car park in the former Newton House Hotel will be turned into a beautiful orchard-themed garden dining area with a dozen fruit-bearing trees, providing a haven for wildlife and customers alike.
“Car parking will still be provided at the rear of number 9 York Place, which will itself be used to extend and enhance the hotel facilities.”
Each room in the hotel, which is based on a ‘tranquil orchard’ theme, has been renamed and redecorated with a particular fruit.
Richard Venable, director of Lamb and Flag Enterprise, said:
“Orchard Club is set to be a landmark destination for holidaymakers and business people, as well as a popular cafe and bistro for hotel guests and Knaresborough residents.”
The 300-year-old building, which is rumoured to have been built with stone from Knaresborough Castle, became a hotel in 1981.
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From Beyoncé to Birstwith – meet the new chef at The Station HotelGyles Brandreth endures sleepless night in ’tilting’ Harrogate hotel bed
TV personality Gyles Brandreth has bemoaned the state of a Harrogate hotel after enduring a sleepless night on a tilting bed.
The author and raconteur appeared at the Royal Hall last night for his one-man show Gyles Brandreth Can’t Stop Talking.
His prolific tweets indicated the evening went well — until it was time for bed.
At about 7am this morning, he posted the following unappealing image and said:
“The view from right here right now … very little sleep on a bed that tilted to the left so that I had to cling on all night. The hotel is in King’s Road but has no number so in the dark we couldn’t find it. Taxi couldn’t find it either. Eventually we did. Rather wish we hadn’t.”
In response to a tweet suggesting he should have called reception, he said:
“There was no reception. At midnight we tried to book in to the Crowne Plaza opposite, but it was full.”
Mr Brandreth declined calls to name and shame the establishment to his 208,000 followers.
After his show last night he hailed the “warm and wonderful audience” and said it was “a privilege to be be on the stage that both Ken Dodd & Marlene Dietrich once appeared on. Not together. (Though wouldn’t that have been glorious?)”.
He later praised The Ivy for its “delicious post-show supper: cheese soufflé followed by iced berries”.
Mr Brandreth added:
“Normally at this time of night, we’re perched on the edge of our bed in the local Premier Inn with a Pret sandwich. Tonight we’re in Harrogate being treated to this …. Thank you.”
However, his night appeared to go downhill once he left The Ivy.
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Sneak Peek: The Knaresborough Inn boosts town’s flourishing hospitality appeal
Knaresborough’s hospitality offering is undergoing something of a renaissance.
Last week 1858 bar and restaurant opened in the former NatWest bank on High Street.
On Monday, the historic Dower House will reopen as The Knaresborough Inn under new ownership.
Both venues have undergone major refurbishments to offer something more ambitious than the average hospitality business.
The new bar.
The Inn Collection Group, which bought The Knaresborough Inn along with the former George Hotel in Harrogate and the Ripon Spa Hotel, markets its venues as ‘inns with rooms’ rather than hotels.
Its business model therefore focuses as much on attracting local people for food and drink as it does on providing three-star accommodation for tourists.
The Knaresborough venue, which closed last summer, held a VIP preview day today.
It no longer has a spa and gym but the number of rooms has increased from 38 to 56. The inn will serve food seven days a week from morning to night and the outdoor area has been upgraded with more seating.
The outdoor area can seat 100 guests.
A spokesman said:
“The idea is that this is as much a place for locals as it is visitors.
“If you want cake and coffee in the afternoon, a breakfast before work, a quick lunch or a night out for a treat, we will cater for you.”
The Knaresborough Inn employs 47 staff and can seat 125 customers inside and 100 outside.
Operations manager Paul Brown (left) and general manager Ian Durrant toast the inn today.
A new portico entrance has been built on the Grade II-listed 15th century building.
General manager Ian Durrant said:
“This has been a year in the making and it’s wonderful for Knaresborough.
“I’m really excited because it’s a beautiful reincarnation of a well known venue.”
Guests at today’s VIP preview opening.
The Inn Collection Group, which is based in Newcastle, has 33 venues in northern England and north Wales, including eight in Yorkshire.
The Ripon Spa Hotel is due to reopen as the Ripon Inn in October. A precise date has not been revealed but it is expected to be in the second half of the month.
The Harrogate Inn, formerly the St George Hotel, reopened on July 3 after a 152-day refurbishment.
The former Dower House has a new name and look.
One of the rooms in what used to be the spa.
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Knaresborough’s Dower House to reopen in 12 days
The Dower House in Knaresborough will open with a new name and a completely fresh look on September 4.
The venue has undergone a major refurbishment since it closed last summer.
The Inn Collection Group, which has bought the venue along with other historic hotels in Ripon and Harrogate, has renamed it the Knaresborough Inn.
The Newcastle-based owners have 32 venues in northern England and north Wales, which are marketed as ‘inns with rooms’ rather than hotels.
The Knaresborough venue will therefore no longer have a spa and gym but it does have an extra nine bedrooms and will focus more on food and drink for local people.
A new portico entrance has been built on the Grade II-listed 15th century building.
New signs have gone up.
Meanwhile. the Ripon Spa Hotel is due to reopen as the Ripon Inn in October. A precise date has not been revealed.
The Harrogate Inn, formerly the St George Hotel, reopened on July 3 after a 152-day refurbishment.
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Harrogate district stately home to be converted into hotel
North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to convert the Harrogate district stately home Denton Hall into a 28-bedroom hotel.
The Grade I listed building, which dates back to 1778, is on the border of the district, between Blubberhouses and Ilkley.
It was designed by Georgian architect John Carr, who also designed Harewood House.
Since the 1970s, it has been used by engineering firm NG Bailey Group as a company training centre as well as for corporate events and weddings.
But current owner Denton Park Holdings Ltd, which includes members of the Bailey family, warned at a public consultation event in Denton village last year that without the ability to raise more income, the buildings would risk falling into disrepair.
Flats and a care home were considered before the owner decided to move forward with plans for the hotel, which were approved by council officers last week.
It means the main Denton Hall building will be converted into 28 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar, a games room and gym.
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A former stables and coach house will be converted into four suites.
Planning documents attached to the application said a key part of the new owner’s intention for Denton Hall is to open it up to the public for the first time.
It said:
“Also of particular public benefit is that changing the use to a hotel will allow the public access into Denton Hall for the first time so that everyone has the opportunity to appreciate the significance of the heritage assets.”
The buildings are part of a vast 2,500 acre estate that includes working farms, mature woodlands, lakes, moorlands, a deer park and grouse enclosures.
Sneak peek: Transformed Harrogate hotel to re-open on MondayA new chapter in the history of one of Harrogate’s most famous hotels will begin on Monday when it reopens with a new name and completely fresh look.
The Harrogate Inn, formerly known as the St George Hotel, is one of three major local hotels to have undergone multi-million pound renovations by the Inn Collection Group.
Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House will re-open shortly under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn.
The Harrogate Inn has a new main entrance on Crescent Gardens that leads into a bar called the Barking George — a nod to its former name.
Visitors will walk into the Barking George bar.
The adjoining area, which used to serve food to hotel guests, has been transformed into a food and beverage area called Stray Away, which the owners hope will become a destination for local people.
It will serve breakfasts, morning and afternoon teas and coffees, lunches and evening meals in the hope of attracting customers for 18 hours a day. It also has a separate Sunday menu.
Six new ground floor suites have increased the number of rooms from 90 to 96.
One of the new suites.
The outdoor terrace has been redeveloped and the Ripon Road entrance will lead to another smaller bar. The existing rooms have undergone only minor changes.
An Inn Collection Group spokesman said:
“The reason we pitch ourselves as inns rather than hotels is because we make the space work from breakfast to night.
“It’s a new place to come and eat and drink. We want it to become a destination for locals to enjoy as much as hotel guests. Ultimately, that’s what will make us successful rather than just relying on high season visitors.”
Andrew Robson, senior communications and marketing executive and Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group outside the Harrogate Inn.
The Newcastle-based Inn Collection Group has 32 venues in northern England, including eight in North Yorkshire.
Henry White, who previously managed the company’s Commissioners Quay in Blyth, has been appointed general manager.
The new name is displayed.
It will be the first of three local Inn Collection Group properties to reopen this summer.
The Knaresborough Inn — formerly the Dower House — is scheduled to reopen on August 20. It will have 57 rooms, compared with 41 previously, largely due to the closure of the spa.
The reopening of the Ripon Inn — formerly Ripon Spa Hotel — was scheduled for August 20 but may not happen until early September. The number of rooms will increase from 41 to 57.
The domed roof remains.
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