Crimple given permission to serve alcohol until 2am at weekends

Councillors have approved a variation of Crimple’s alcohol licence so the venue can serve alcohol and offer live music until 2am on weekends.

The garden centre on Leeds Road near Pannal had a multi-million-pound makeover in 2021 and now offers a food hall, restaurant, and space for weddings and other events.

North Yorkshire Council’s sub-licensing committee met in Harrogate this morning to consider the application.

Licensee Tori Watson told councillors that varying the licence from its current cut off of 11.30pm would allow the business to provide an extended bar service at weddings and for bands and DJs to play later into the night.

Mrs Watson said:

“We hold a lot of events and it’s becoming more and more popular as our reputation has grown.

“It won’t be for every Friday and Saturday, it’s just we get enquiries for weddings and they say can we have bar open until 1.30am or 2am. It allows us to say, ‘yes we can’.

“We’re not trying to open some late night venue with partying.”

Tori Watson, who owns Crimple along with her husbandLicensee Tori Watson

Councillors heard there has been one noise complaint at the venue in the last nine years which came in 2021 but was found to be unsubstantiated.

However, the application has received several objections on noise grounds, including one from Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council on behalf of residents living at the nearby All Saints Court in Pannal.

Parish councillor Howard West said:

“The problem is people who live in All Saints Court. They are not a complaining bunch of people but if there’s a nuisance sound after 11.30pm they would have no idea who to communicate to at that time of day.”

However, the Conservative chair of the committee, Cllr Tim Grogan, queried why none of the residents had gone to the premises to complain in person. He said:

“If I’d have been living there and was discomfitted by the noise I’d be knocking on the door to say ‘turn this down’, but I can’t speak for other people.”

Mr West also read out a statement on behalf of Dunkeswick wedding venue Wharfedale Grange, which said it was forced by the council to spend £750,000 on sound proofing in order to offer live music.

It said it was “extremely disappointing” that Crimple’s application could be considered without similar noise mitigation requests.

The committee of three councillors ultimately voted to approve the licence. They imposed conditions preventing customers from using the rear terrace after 10pm, ensuring loud speakers are not used outside, and requiring all windows and doors to be closed when entertainment is taking place.

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Ripon’s Old Deanery to launch fine dining after key appointment

Plans put on hold because of covid are finally set to come to fruition at the Old Deanery in Ripon following the appointment of Adam Jackson.

The award-winning executive chef is working with owners Rebecca and Chris Layton to provide fine dining and accommodation to sit alongside the wedding and events business the couple launched two years ago at the historic grade two listed Minster Road property.

The Jacobean mansion is situated in the shadows of Ripon Cathedral.

Ms Layton told the Stray Ferret:

“We always had an appetite for making the Old Deanery a fine dining destination that would be open on a more regular basis, but covid meant that we had to put our plans on hold.

“Now we believe that the time is right and Adam joins us as part of our exciting plans to open as Yorkshire’s newest dining experience. He is already working on menu development.”

Executive chef Adam Jackson. Picture: The Old Deanery

Award-winning Mr Jackson was head chef at the Black Swan at Oldstead, near Thirsk, where he helped it win its first Michelin star in 2012.

He then set up his own York restaurant The Park in Marmadukes Town House Hotel, which gained three AA Rosettes.

Latterly, he has worked at the Faversham Arms in Helmsley and the Bow Room at Grays Court in York.

From November, in addition to its weddings and receptions, The Old Deanery will be open for dinner, bed and breakfast stays and meals, including grazing-style meals and Sunday lunches.

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Village pub near Boroughbridge put up for sale

A village pub near Boroughbridge which was once well-known as a wedding venue and dining destination has been put up for sale.

The Crown Inn at Roecliffe has been listed by Christie & Co, with an alternative option for it to be let to “an experienced and credible operator”.

The pub, which has a function room seating 80 people as well as space for 80 covers in its restaurant and bar, is on the market for £875,000.

It includes five en-suite letting rooms as well as outside dining space and a car park, and the purchase would include “the majority” of its fixtures and fittings.

The description by Christie & Co says:

“The Crown Inn presents an excellent opportunity for an experienced operator to purchase a large, characterful hospitality property in an extremely desirable location. An established business which previously upheld a fantastic reputation.

“Historically, annual turnover was [circa] £1.2m (£25k per week net of VAT). In the hands of an experienced operator there is huge, tangible potential for The Crown Inn to re-establish itself as a bustling village pub, wedding/events venue and destination restaurant with rooms.”

The particulars say the owner’s preference is for it to be sold, but it could be rented for £60,000 per year on a 10- or 15-year agreement. A one-off payment of £15,000 would be required for the fixtures and fittings.

The Crown Inn has been closed for around a year, with the particulars saying this was down to “being underfunded and significantly impacted by the pandemic”.

Its lessee was Chris Hannon, who ran a number of pubs around the UK, and was last month reported by the Mirror to be facing bankruptcy after his previous company fell into liquidation in 2020.

The pub is understood to be owned currently by a number of villagers who bought the premises in 2018.

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Knaresborough couple’s Dower House wedding cancelled due to refurb

A couple from Knaresborough tried for months to contact their wedding venue only to be told their special day was no longer secure and they should look elsewhere.

Toni Kinder and Michael Shelton were due to get married at Dower House Hotel in Knaresborough this December after booking the venue in August 2021.

The hotel was bought by The Inn Collection Group (ICG) in December 2021 but the couple were assured it would not affect their wedding.

However, after months of not being able to get in touch with anyone the couple rang the St George, another ICG hotel in Harrogate. It was only then, eight months after they made the booking, they were told planned refurbishments meant their date was no longer secure.

Last week, the Stray Ferret revealed a multi-million pound expansion plan would lead to the closure of the gym and spa facilities and the hotel for some time as works got underway.

Ms Kinder said she had picked her food, booked entertainment and imagined her pictures at Knaresborough Castle but said this all had to be put on hold whilst they found an alternative venue.

Ms Kinder said:

“There was never much communication with the Dower House, I only found out because I got a number from a friend for someone at the St George.

“We were set on the Dower House but don’t want to wait any longer to be married, we just have to hope we like the St George.”

The couple, who have been together nearly five years, are due to visit the St George in Harrogate after it said it could offer them the same date and honour the price they paid.

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The couple have four children between them and were left feeling “disappointed and frustrated” by the lack of communication from Dower House.

The ICG has said:

“There is no date for closure of the hotel so they are correct in that there has been no formal cancellation as yet but guests have been advised of possible disruption. We have been offering guests the opportunity to move venues for certainty but at this stage we do not know when the hotel will close.”

Ms Kinder added:

“It’s a shame because we picked there, of course it’s not what we wanted but it’s not a disaster. We had friends who’s weddings were delayed loads over lockdown and we know we will get married on that day it just won’t be at Dower House.”

Sneak peek: New owners refurbish The Old Deanery in Ripon

The new owners of The Old Deanery are set to be the first couple to have their wedding at the venue after completing the first phase of a major refurbishment.

It is a new chapter for the Grade II* listed mansion. The venue has sat in the shadow of Ripon Cathedral since it was built in 1625.

Chris Layton and Rebecca Hill, who also own the Galtres Lodge Hotel in York, took on the business in August 2021.

The previous owners closed the business in June 2020 due to coronavirus. That closure came as a major blow for the city with countless memories attached to the building.

Where couples will have their wedding breakfast. Photo: Tim Hardy

So with news of new owners came a lot of interest from locals curious about Chris and Rebecca’s plan for the place.

While they are open-minded about how The Old Deanery will operate in future, they have put the restaurant and hotel side of the business on hold to focus on weddings and events.

The new owners have been busy refurbishing and redecorating the venue since they took it on last summer.

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The Old Deanery will look quite different to how people remember the venue. The couple have brought out the original features of the building where they can and opted for a more neutral colour palette.

A new look for The Old Deanery.

Mr Layton and Ms Hill told the Stray Ferret:

“We do most of the work ourselves so we don’t have to decide on a vision for the place straight away and it evolves naturally. In a way the place tells you what it wants.

“By no means is the renovation over. We are looking at orangeries, oak garages for the drive and a library. All of the things that would have gone with a big stately home.

“We want this to be part of the community. That is why we are opening as more of an events venue than a hotel.”

Lewis Carroll was apparently inspired to write Alice in Wonderland during his time in the garden here.

The first wedding at the new Old Deanery

It is now ready for its first wedding of the new era later this month — which just so happens to be the wedding of Mr Layton and Ms Hill. Rebecca added:

“We have been engaged a while. With a big chunk of coronavirus in the middle you can forget how much time has passed.

“Chris wanted to get married in our own place but our venue in York was too small.

“We only decided before Christmas to get married here so we didn’t have long to plan it but everybody we wanted just happened to be available. It all just fell into place when we found The Old Deanery.”

Wedding venue transforms into ski lodge to save staff

A luxury Harrogate wedding venue is transforming into a ski lodge restaurant to keep staff in work this winter.

Current covid restrictions limit weddings to a maximum of 15 guests.

This has had a huge impact on venues like Wharfedale Grange, near Harewood, which is able to seat 270 wedding guests and can cater for 165 people in its restaurant.

It hopes that by adapting the use of its barn it will be able to retain staff, especially with the furlough scheme ending this month.

Claire Thomas, managing director of Wharfedale Grange, said:

“We’ve got 18 full-time staff and 12 part-time staff so we’re effectively keeping 30 people in work by converting to a restaurant and not making them redundant.”

Described as ‘La Folie Douce meets Yorkshire’, the restaurant — called Apres Bar & Grill — will incorporate elements of ski lodge resorts.

It is due to open from November 1 to the end of March.

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