Roecliffe pub’s ‘glory days’ will be restored, say new owners

The Crown Inn at Roecliffe has reopened with new owners and managers in the hope of restoring the pub to its former “glory days”.

The inn, in the village near Boroughbridge, went into voluntary liquidation last year under its former owners. It has been bought by the Coastal and Country Inns group, which owns three other inns in the UK.

Despite its owners saying the midst of a pandemic “could be the worst time to open,” they have spoken of their gratitude for the warm welcome from local residents.

Chris Hannon, managing director of Coastal & Country, said:

“We’ve been looking at it for over a year and we were excited to finally get it. This could be the worst time to open: we are either stupid or very brave, but the world has to keep turning and good pubs will always survive. We don’t want to mess around with it too much – we want to keep the traditional pub charm.

“We’ve had a fantastic welcome from the locals and we want to be a central point. It’s really important to keep it going. It’s nice to buck the trend and open a pub when so many are closing.”

The interior of The Crown Inn, Roecliffe

The pub has reopened and hopes to continue to be a central hub for the village.

Read more:

Its new managers, Lukas and Veronicka Alman, have previously worked at another of the group’s inns in the Peak District.

The pub has been refurbished and is offering food and drink, accommodation and events space.

Full steam ahead for micropub at Knaresborough train station

A developer can now move ahead with plans for a micropub at Knaresborough’s train station.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved the plans for the Track and Sleeper with a few conditions and alterations, including that work must start before September 2023.

The Track and Sleeper will take over a couple of vacant units at the Grade II listed building. It will serve real ale and gin.

Both the Knaresborough Civic Society and the Friends of Knaresborough Station wrote in support of the plans. The council also said the plans were sympathetic to the building.

These are the new plans including planters.

The community groups raised concerns about a lack of toilets and a “potential nuisance” from the pub’s customers. The landlord will need to monitor those concerns going forward.

Instead of the timber barriers previously submitted, the amended plans inclued moveable planters with barriers in between.

The council believes that because the pub is bringing vacant units back into use that it will be beneficial for the building. It also supported the plans to reinstate the fireplace inside the pub.

Uncertain future for General Tarleton

The fate of the General Tarleton is unclear as it shows no sign of reopening after being closed for five months. 

Award-winning chef John Topham and his wife Claire have shared full ownership of the hotel and eatery in Ferrensby since 2005, according to information on the Companies House website.

Over the past 15 years the couple have built a reputation for serving quality food.  

Read more:

In 2016, the couple also gained a stake in the Alice Hawthorn, a country inn in Nun Monkton.  

The Alice Hawthorn is managed by the Tophams and in 2017 it was named the Yorkshire Life Dining Pub of the Year. 

The Alice Hawthorn has reopened since the coronavirus lockdown but the General Tarleton remains closed.

The Stray Ferret contacted the Alice Hawthorn yesterday to inquire about the future of the business but it declined to comment.  

Ripon pub closes after suspected covid case

A pub in Ripon has had to close today after a customer reported testing positive for coronavirus.

The Navigation Inn, situated on the edge of the canal, has made the decision to close today. The pub has said all the staff will be tested and the pub will be deep cleaned throughout the day.

The pub has said this report has not come from an official source but they expect the information to come later today.

Notifying customers via Facebook, the pub owners said:

“We have been informed that someone has visited The Navigation Inn on Thursday, who has since tested positive with covid 19. My priority is to ensure everyone’s safety & at present we feel this is the best option. We send out apologises to anyone who was booked in with us today, and for anyone who had deliveries organised.”
Staff at the Navigation Inn, Ripon

The pub has made this decision to ensure the safety of its staff and other customers.

Read more:

It has said it will update customers when it receives more information from officials.
The pub has recently reported an increase in bookings through the eat out to help out scheme.
Closure sign on entrance to The Navigation Inn, Ripon

This sign was left on the entrance to the pub.

Plans for micropub at Knaresborough train station

A new micropub could soon open at Knaresborough’s train station to serve up real ale and gin.

The Track and Sleeper would take over a couple of vacant units at the station if the plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council are approved.

Housed in a Grade II listed building dating back to 1865, there will be much interest in any redevelopment plans. The council document describes the alterations for the micropub as “sympathetic to both the external and internal aspects of the building”.

Read more:

Track and Sleeper plans

This is what it could look like, according to plans submitted with the application

Knaresborough Civic Society wrote in support of the plans but raised concerns about drinking and smoking on the platform. It also requested that the pub restores the existing fireplace and uses it as an open fire, something the society said was more in keeping with the building.

The deadline for comments on the application is August 12. Find the plans on the Harrogate Borough Council website.

Historic Killinghall pub reopens

One of the oldest pubs in the Harrogate district reopened on Friday – just weeks after planners granted permission to convert the site into a convenience store.

Locals in Killinghall wondered whether last orders had been called for the final time at The Three Horseshoes when it closed for lockdown.

Ilkley company Dynamic Capital Killinghall had submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to demolish the building and construct a convenience store and four flats.

When the plans were approved this month, it appeared to herald a new chapter for the site, which has hosted a pub for 150 years.

But the pub reopened at the weekend and the developers have yet to confirm when the conversion will take place.

Read more

Will Rogers, a planner at Planning Potential, which is the agent acting on behalf of Dynamic Capital Killinghall, told The Stray Ferret “the applicant remains committed to the site”.

But he was unable to confirm when work will begin, adding:

“We have a series of planning conditions we need to discharge first and then we’ll know more on timescales.”

One of the council’s conditions was to install six electric vehicle charging points.

Rogers said the convenience store, which will be in the middle of Killinghall on the busy Ripon Road, would open seven days a week from 7am to 11pm and was expected to create 15 part-time and full-time jobs.

Architect's impression

How the convenience store will look.

Forty-one individual representations supported the proposal and six opposed it. The council also received a petition signed by 232 people objecting to the loss of the pub.

Councillors decided “the proposal would provide substantial social and environmental benefits” and approved it.

The public body Historic England rejected a proposal this year to grant the pub listed building status.

Punch Taverns, which owns the pub, did not reply to The Stray Ferret’s request for a comment.

Harrogate pub could be shut down over lockdown breaches

A Harrogate pub that came under fire for breaching coronavirus lockdown rules could be closed down permanently.

The council has told the landlord of the Coach and Horses that a formal review of its licence is underway after it found 75 customers in the area drinking on Sunday.

Harrogate Borough Council sent its enforcement team to two pubs on Saturday and reported that people were breaking the rules. It gave advice to the licensees of both pubs and reminded them of the law.

The next day, the Coach and Horses opened again and followed the initial advice before, the council says it committed a further breach of regulations.

Police at the Coach and Horses on Tuesday.

Council officers issued a prohibition notice to the pub the same day and in doing so officers were subjected to verbal abuse from customers. One even followed the officers along Tower Street and back to their cars.

Despite the prohibition notice, the council said the pub continued to trade in the same way. In his report, council officer Gareth Bentley said officers returned to the pub on Monday, after the notice was issued:

“On arrival they noticed two ladies drinking in open plastic cups at the front of The Coach and Horses. Additionally people were sitting outside, on the opposite side of the road to the pubs’ side door on Tower Street drinking from open plastic pint cups.”

Council officers and police officers returned to the premises yesterday to serve notice of the licence review, which could mean a permanent closure.

Read more on this story:

The council, accompanied by North Yorkshire Police, said it will continue to monitor the situation over the weekend.

Councillor Mike Chambers, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said:

“Even after officers visited the Coach and Horses pub, and advised the landlord of their responsibilities, they still felt the need to continue breaching coronavirus regulations. Sadly, this has now resulted in the review of the pub’s licence. These regulation are there to protect our communities. “

Charity distances from Harrogate pub caught breaking rules

A disability charity has distanced itself from a Harrogate pub which repeatedly broke the lockdown rules.

Horticap had agreed to work with The Coach and Horses and supply it with plants just before it opened.

The pub dubbed itself ‘The Hanging Gardens of Harrogate’ and planned to open as a “garden centre” serving refreshments when it opened.

Read more on this story:

John Nelson, the pub’s landlord, said that he would give all of the proceeds to Horticap. However, the charity said the pub did not tell them about his change of plans to sell alcohol.

The pub has been served a prohibition notice.

Steve Scarre, chair of Trustees at Horticap, told The Stray Ferret:

“John from the Coach and Horses has been a great supporter of Horticap over many years. He said he would be serving tea and coffee over the weekend. That changed on Friday night when unbeknown to us he decided to serve alcohol because the weather forecast looked good. He did not inform us of this and the first I knew was the social media reports on Sunday morning at 7.00am.”

As a result, the charity took out all of its plants and refused to take any money from the pub’s sales. Steve added: “We are not happy about what transpired and have told him so.”

Some of the plants inside The Coach and Horses.

The Stray Ferret approached the Coach and Horses for a comment but the pub refused the opportunity.

Harrogate Borough Council officers served the pub with a prohibition notice because it had repeatedly breached the lockdown rules.

The Coach and Horses has opened again today to sell alcohol but crowds have not gathered in the same way as last weekend.

Harrogate pub ‘breached lockdown rules repeatedly’

A Harrogate pub, which invited customers for takeaway food and drinks, breached the lockdown rules repeatedly over the weekend.

Harrogate Borough Council sent its enforcement team to two pubs on Saturday and reported that people were breaking the rules.

It gave advice to the licensees of both pubs and reminded them of the law.

The next day the Coach and Horses opened again and followed the initial advice before, the council says it committed a further breach of regulations.

As a result, the officers served the pub with a prohibition notice.

Read more on this story:

When the officers were on site they were also subjected to verbal abuse from customers.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said:

“While pubs are allowed to offer take away food (which may include alcoholic drink), they are not permitted to operate any kind of beer ‘garden’ on their property. This includes putting tables or chairs on, or anywhere adjacent to, their premises for customers to use. We will take all necessary enforcement action if a business breaks the current coronavirus lockdown legislation.”

When the bell tolls… clean the pub!

 

Staff at Wetherspoon pubs across the Harrogate district are on a high hygiene alert to keep their premises germ free as the coronavirus crisis deepens. 

The pub chain, which serves food and drink to thousands of customers per week at the Winter Gardens in Harrogate, The Crown in Knaresborough and Unicorn in Ripon, has introduced an alarm bell system, which reminds staff on a regular basis to clean all surfaces that can be touched by customers, staff and suppliers. 

The emergency procedures apply across the whole of the Wetherspoon estate and staff are receiving practical advice and updates from head office on a daily basis. 

The Stray Ferret witnessed a cleaning session at the Unicorn Ripon this week, which happened straight after the alarm bell rang. All surfaces including door handles, bar tops, coffee machines, tables and chairs were assiduously wiped over. 

Unicorn regulars, Tim Freeman and Russ Kell (pictured above), were unaware of the bell alert initiative, but were impressed when told about it. Tim said:

“The tables in here are clean enough to eat your dinner off and the bar is always immaculate. I didn’t know that extra measures had been brought it, but it’s reassuring to discover that Wetherspoon are looking after customers to this degree.” 

Russ adds: “I’ve eaten at Wetherspoon pubs all over the country and they operate to a very high standard. It’s good to hear that they are protecting us in ways we didn’t even know about.”