Harrogate’s Coach & Horses pub ‘coming back soon’ as plans approved

New signs in the windows of the Coach & Horses pub in Harrogate have indicated it will be reopening in the near future.

On Friday, Harrogate Borough Council approved the new owner’s plans to refurbish the premises.

Provenance Inns, which owns West Park Hotel on the same street, took over the pub in October last year.

It has been closed since May 2020 after the previous landlord John Nelson had his licence revoked for breaching covid rules.

Provenance will revamp the bar and kitchen area and reinstate the corner entrance.

New branding for the Coach & Horses

It will also convert the first floor into a restaurant area along with staff accommodation and office space.

Anthony Blundell, commercial manager at Provenance Inns, told the Stray Ferret that the company wanted to maintain the Coach and Horses as a “traditional pub”.

He said:

“The idea is to refurbish what is already there.

“We see it as the last traditional pub in Harrogate. We know from our guests how well it was respected.”

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New pub The Curious Cow of Harrogate to open on April 8

The Old Spring Well in Killinghall will reopen as The Curious Cow of Harrogate on April 8 after undergoing a £650,000 refurbishment.

The Revere Pub Company, which is the premium arm of Marston’s, has promised a ‘brand-new premium pub, food and drink experience’, with the creation of 40 jobs.

The Stray Ferret revealed last month the pub, which was built on the site of the former Travellers Rest, was being taken up-market.

The owners have now provided an opening date and further details of the planned changes.

It said in a press release today:

“The venue will be newly reimagined with country chic inspired interiors and stripped back features, including oak flooring, open fires and contemporary finishes.

“Alongside a welcoming interior and cosy nooks, there is also an outside area to make the most of the warmer months.”

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Food will consist of “an assortment of contemporary dishes alongside a variety of pub classics”, plus pizzas, steaks and other options, including Sunday roasts.

Michael Baravelli, general manager at The Curious Cow of Harrogate, said:

“We can’t wait to throw open the doors and welcome guests in to explore what we’ve created here.

“Providing quality and premium experiences that keep people coming back time and time again is so important to us, and we are looking forward to creating a beautiful space where the community can escape, switch off and enjoy what we have to offer.”

New owners unveil Minskip pub’s fresh look

The new owners of a pub near Boroughbridge have unveiled a fresh look in the first part of major plans for the venue.

Three friends from Harrogate and York clubbed together to buy The Wild Swan in Minskip last summer. After running the pub for a few months they closed it in January for a refurbishment.

Supply issues caused by coronavirus delayed the reopening. What was only meant to take a few days ended up taking three weeks but the owners managed to open the doors today.

Diners enjoying The Wild Swan on reopening day.

Owners Stephen Lennox, Alex Bond and Alastair Benham have replaced the greens and yellows of the pub with more muted off-white tones.

While they are keen to make a name for themselves for the menu, which is under the direction of new head chef Liam Philbin, the trio also want to improve the pub in other ways for locals.

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Mr Lennox told the Stray Ferret today:

“The pub side has been improved in a cosmetic way. The restaurant side has had a total renovation with new flooring, new furniture and decorations.

“We’ve also improved the bathrooms and extended the kitchen. From the outside as well you can see the pub has had a refurbishment. We’ve painted the building, installed planters and outdoor seating.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with what it was before but it wasn’t what we wanted it to be. It’s a real freshen-up and brighten-up. We want to keep the country pub feel but put our own stamp on it.”

The dining room has undergone a major refurbishment.

The owners are also planning to convert a building at the back of the pub to make room for a private dining room and a microbrewery with a beer garden connecting the two.

Mr Lennox said he hoped those additional works would be completed by May.

Ripon city centre pub closes for ‘forseeable future’

A pub in the centre of Ripon has closed for the foreseeable future.

The Lamb and Flag, on High Skellgate, looks quiet and dark today with the pub garden fenced off.

It is unclear why the pub has closed but the owners, who took over a little more than a year ago, revealed the news in a statement on their Facebook page. It said:

“This decision has not come lightly but unfortunately the Lamb and Flag will be closed for the foreseeable.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support but at this time we will be closing.

“We will update everyone if there are any changes.”

The Stray Ferret asked the pub’s owners why they decided to close and whether it would reopen. However, we had not received a reply by the time of publication.

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Famous North Yorkshire pub ‘reduced to ashes’ in overnight blaze

A North Yorkshire pub famous for its food and setting in a historic thatched inn has been “reduced to ashes” in a fire which took hold overnight.

The owners of the Star Inn at Harome, which will be well-known to food lovers in the Harrogate district, called the fire service at around 10pm last night.

Firefighters battled the blaze overnight with nine fire engines on scene at its peak. As of 7am this morning, crews were still working to extinguish the fire.

In a dramatic video posted by the pub’s owners on social media just after 4am the thatched roof can be seen ablaze with smoke billowing out into the night sky. They said:

“It’s been a long night so far…I’m afraid we won’t be open for a while as we are reduced to ashes with The Star on fire and still burning, residents please call after 9 am.”

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https://twitter.com/TheStaratHarome/status/1463723386534862849

The Star Inn is famous for its food, having held a Michelin star for much of chef Andrew Pern’s tenure who has been at the pub for 25 years.

Fire crews from Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and Pickering along with the aerial ladder platform from Huntington have attended the fire.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said at 7am:

“At it’s peak the incident had nine appliances, one aerial ladder platform, one water bowser, one welfare unit and an incident command unit in attendance.

“Crews worked with main jets and hose reel jets to contain the fire and the aerial ladder platform was deployed to removed thatch from the roof.

“The incident is still ongoing and crews are still working to extinguish the fire.”

Coneythorpe pub reopens by thanking firefighters who saved it

The owners of a family-run pub in Coneythorpe, which reopened yesterday after 11 months, have thanked firefighters who saved the building.

Fire crews from Harrogate, Knaresborough and Acomb spent six hours battling a blaze at the Tiger Inn, near Knaresborough, in November.

To mark the reopening 11 months on, Ian and Barbara Gill, who have owned the Tiger Inn for 15 years, presented a cheque for £5,000 to the men and women who saved the pub from total destruction.

The money will now go to the Fire Fighters Charity, which helps firefighters and their families cope with injury, illness and rehabilitation.

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Paul Metheringham, who was the incident commander on the night of the fire, said:

“This is a tremendously generous gesture by the Gills and we are very appreciative. The fire was massive and we were thankful that we were able to save the Tiger from being completely destroyed.

“We know what an important part of the local community the pub is and we are delighted it has now reopened. This cheque presentation makes the re-opening even more special.”

The Knaresborough crew released this picture today.

Mr Gill said:

“This was the least we could do. The local fire brigades from Harrogate, Knaresborough and Acomb were absolutely brilliant, showing incredible courage and expertise. We have so much to thank them for.

“We are delighted to have reopened – and to welcome back our regulars after being closed for so long. During our closure, we have been so heartened and encouraged the support we have received from the local community, who have given us the strength to carry on and to ensure that The Tiger has re-opened in style.

“We were left devastated by the fire. It was accidental and we were grateful that no-one was hurt. As you can imagine, the last 18 months have been extremely challenging. We were already struggling with the serious effects of covid last year, when the huge fire struck.”

Ms Gill added:

“Had it not been for covid, someone would have been on the premises when the fire started. But, on the plus side, as the pub was empty, it meant there was no danger to life. Even so, the part the brave firefighters played in saving our pub was absolutely crucial. We will be forever grateful to them.”

New twist in bitter fight over derelict Kirkby Malzeard pub

The acrimonious struggle over the former Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard has taken a new twist.

Last week campaigners handed a 500-plus name petition to Harrogate Borough Council calling for part of the closed-down and derelict premises to be re-listed as an asset of community value (ACV).

But now Justin Claybourn has taken the property off the market and informed the Henry Jenkins Community Pub campaign group (HJCP) he will not sell to them ‘at any time or any price’.

Mr Claybourn, whose successful planning appeal in December 2020 gives him permission to create a single dwelling in the part of the building that he owns, is now going to press ahead with plans to convert it to residential use and create a family holiday home.

Campaigners to save the Henry Jenkins pub in Kirkby Malzeard, who were in Harrogate yesterday.

Campaigners collecting names for their petition in Harrogate.

His business associate and agent David Fielder, who owns the pub group Fielder Holdings, told the Stray Ferret:

“Since 2018 Mr Claybourn has owned the old joiner’s shop, previously known as the eastern annex of the Henry Jenkins.

“The pub closed more than 10 years ago and Mr Claybourn has become increasingly annoyed with the campaign group’s actions, in particular their third attempt to have his property listed as an ACV even after his successful planning appeal.

“He directly holds HJCP responsible for the cost of defending the three ACV applications but further in his opinion the cost of his planning appeal. These costs exceed £25,000.”

Mr Fielder added:

“Over the past 10 years, nobody, including HJCP, has made a bid meeting the criteria that the property was on offer for — i.e. backed by hard cash, not pledges.

“With this in mind, following the latest move by HJCP, my client asked me to formally instruct them that his property has been removed from sale and will not return to the market.

“I was also instructed to advise them that due to their actions and costs they have made Mr Claybourn incur he would never consider a sale of his property at any time or at any price to HJCP.”

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Richard Sadler, press spokesman for the Henry Jenkins Community Pub group, said:

“This statement comes as no surprise to us and changes nothing:  The only reason the Henry Jenkins has stood empty for the last 10 years is that Mr Fielder — and latterly his associate Mr Claybourn — have refused to sell it to anyone.

“We have submitted to the council statements from three prospective private buyers who wanted to buy and refurbish it as a pub and restaurant — including a Michelin two-star trained chef —  but they were told either that the asking price had been vastly inflated or that the pub had been sold.

“The Henry Jenkins Community Pub group has since made five offers to buy the pub at or above the price set by an independent valuer – but all these offers have been refused.”

“Despite this – and despite previous statements by Mr Fielder saying he would never sell the pub to us – we remain open and willing to discuss terms for a purchase of the Henry Jenkins as a community facility.”

 

 

Boroughbridge man bids to open micropub in town

A man in Boroughbridge has said he has spotted a gap in the market for a micropub that sells high-quality local cask ales.

Paul McCusker, who has run several pubs in West Yorkshire and currently works behind the bar at another pub in Boroughbridge, wants to convert a former hardware shop on Horsefair into a micropub called the Borough Tap.

He hopes he can be pulling pints there by Christmas.

Mr McCusker said that whilst there were places like the Grantham Arms known for excellent food, the town lacked a specialist alehouse that could tap into an expanding population.

He said he wants the pub to showcase the many local breweries on Boroughbridge’s doorstep, including Roosters, Bad Co and Turning Point.

“There’s no other pub that will do this and there’s a gap in the market.

“There’s so much local produce that can be showcased.”

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Mr McCusker is yet to receive planning permission for the pub but next week Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee will decide whether to grant the venue an alcohol licence.

He said if all goes to plan, he wants to grab “the bull by the horns” and open it before the end of the year.

He said his goal was to get the Borough Tap House into CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.

Mr McCusker added:

“I’ve run pubs that have got in the Good Beer Guide. It’s hard to get to that standard but it’s like The Bible and people look to it for guidance, although word of mouth is still the best recommendation.

“I want people to say they had a cracking hour in my pub.”

Boroughbridge pub owner feels lucky to survive fire

One of the owners of a pub near Boroughbridge that caught fire over the weekend has said he and his partner are lucky to be alive.

Brian Rey and Elaine Howden, who have owned the Ship Inn at Aldborough for 13 years, were woken at about 2am on Sunday by a ringing sound.

Mr Rey went to the door at the top of the stairs to investigate but as soon as he opened it he was met by a wall of smoke. He said:

“My godfathers, it was really thick white smoke. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes but then I started struggling to breathe.

“So I called Elaine over for us to get out but we couldn’t make it through the smoke. We had some face masks in the room so we put a few of them together and escaped.

“We really were lucky to get out. If that fire had been anywhere else but the store room which is surrounded by concrete then the whole building could have come down.”

The fire service believes the tumble dryer on the right is the likely cause of the fire.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the scene. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service later said it believed the blaze started in a tumble dryer.

However, Mr Rey is unsure whether the tumble dryer was in fact the source of the problems. He said they never used it after 5pm and he had smelled something unusual near the fridge earlier that night.

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Since the fire, the local community has rallied behind the pub.

Both the Grantham Arms and the General Tarleton owners have offered help and people have donated £700 to a gofundme page set up by local resident Sam Stoddart to help the Ship Inn recover from the fire.

The store room is filled with melted appliances. The walls and ceilings are black from the aftermath.

Mr Rey added his thanks for the support:

“The people in the village have been very helpful. We have taken plenty of phone calls from people who have wanted to wish us luck.

“With the fundraiser we were at a bit of a loss. We only found out when a journalist asked us about it. There still is that friendly spirit, I thought those days had gone.”

Coneythorpe pub rises from ashes to reopen after 11 months

A family-run pub in Coneythorpe is to reopen its doors, 11 months after a devastating fire.

Fire crews from Harrogate, Knaresborough and Acomb spent six hours battling the blaze at the Tiger Inn in November.

When the pub reopens on Monday, October 25, owners Ian and Barbara Gill will donate £5,000 to the Firefighter’s Charity as a thank-you.

Firefighters tackle the blaze at the Tiger Inn, Coneythorpe, back in November.

Firefighters tackling the blaze at the Tiger Inn in November.

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The Gills have run the Tiger Inn, near Knaresborough, for 15 years. Mr Gill said:

“As you can imagine, the last 18 months have been extremely challenging.

“We were already struggling with the serious effects of covid last year, when the huge fire struck. As a result we have been closed ever since.

“However, we have been so heartened and encouraged by the support we have received from all our regulars.

“They have given us the strength to carry on and to ensure that The Tiger will re-open in style.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said at the time of the blaze that fire broke out in the pub’s kitchen and the cause was believed to be accidental.

Neighbours said they were devastated and described the pub as a pillar of the community.