Coach and Horses set to reopen under new ownership

The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is set to reopen under new owners Provenance Inns and Hotels.

Provenance Inns, which also owns the West Park Hotel on the same street, plans to refurbish the historic pub before it reopens.

It is unclear when the Coach and Horses will open but the new owners said in a statement today it will create more than 50 jobs.

Karen French, operations director for Provenance Inns and Hotels said:

“We are delighted that we could take on such a fantastic building and have the opportunity to bring the Coach and Horses back to life. It’s a very exciting time for us all.

“Not only will this opportunity create more than 50 new jobs, but we plan to work with local groups and the community, to be able to offer something that’s accessible to everyone.

“We are pleased that we will be the new custodians of the Coach and Horses, and that we are able to retain the family values of the pub.”

Read more:

The news comes almost a year since Harrogate Borough Council granted Samantha Nelson a new alcohol licence.

Previous landlord John Nelson, Ms Nelson’s father, lost the licence when police found customers drinking outside and not observing social distancing rules during the weekend of May 30, 2020.

Nelson is well-known in the Harrogate area — he was landlord for 33 years and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.

Coach and Horses: date set for licence decision

The Coach and Horses could soon get a new landlord after Harrogate Borough Council set a date to decide on a new licence.

Samantha Nelson, the daughter of previous landlord John Nelson, applied to take over the pub at the start of last month.

Her application will be heard on October 29.

Harrogate Borough Council revoked the pub’s licence in July after council officers claimed Mr Nelson showed a “blatant disregard” for coronavirus social distancing rules.

The officers also said Mr Nelson was “aggressive and abusive” towards council officials and the police when they served him a prohibition notice on May 31.

Read more:

A total of 449 people signed a petition calling on the council to grant Samantha Nelson the licence to run the pub.

When the council’s licensing sub-committee revoked the licence, Mr Nelson’s lawyer Paddy Whur said his client “accepted he made a chronic error of judgement”.

The Stray Ferret has approached the Coach and Horses several times to inquire about its future. We had still not received a reply by the time of publication.