AN historic pub has seen its fortunes transformed thanks to a complete makeover and the creation of a dozen innovative guest rooms.
Last year The Alice Hawthorn at Nun Monkton, just off the A59 between Knaresborough and Harroagte, made it into the Sunday Times list of the UK's 100 Best Places to Stay 2021.
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Named after a famous 19th Century racehorse, The Alice Hawthorn is the village’s last remaining pub and was in need of rescue, say the architects behind its overhaul.
Now a major new development featuring 12 ensuite guest bedrooms have been completed in a bid to further the pub's appeal and ensure it continues to thrive.
The development and renovation has been designed by architects De Matos Ryan.
It includes four guest bedrooms on the first floor of the pub and eight around a new courtyard, which extends the village green into the pub’s rear garden.
The project takes its inspiration from the Norse ‘garth’, meaning ‘grassy cloister’ or ‘clearing in the woods’, creating a sense of quiet enclosure.
The design also reflects the character of the various informal farmsteads that surround the village's green, which continues to be grazed by cows and other animals.
The home-grown Douglas fir framed buildings use authentic agricultural building materials, such as galvanised corrugated steel roofing and larch cladding, to create the sense that the animals have only recently moved out.
The guest bedrooms are supported by new ancillary service areas, including housekeeping and linen stores, and staff accommodation.
There are no windows to the north and west to prevent overlooking and light pollution to the neighbours.
An outdoor kitchen, pizza oven and pub garden bar have also been incorporated into the design.
De Matos Ryan director, Angus Morrogh-Ryan, said: "Before our client took ownership in 2013, the pub struggled commercially and had even closed for a period in 2007.
"Despite significant investment in a new kitchen and the wholesale refurbishment of the ground floor pub spaces, it was not yet a sustainable business.
"To become solvent long term, it needed to increase its appeal to a broader audience.
"Therefore, the brief was to provide tourists, as well as the local community, with a high-quality but affordable basecamp from which to enjoy the surrounding landscape and visitor attractions.”
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He said work with Harrogate Borough Council and the local community informed
the extension project’s design.
During a consultation one villager noted that "arriving home at night and seeing the pub lights on always gave them a warm feeling of contentment and calm".
Mr Morrogh-Ryan said: "Community needs were considered at every stage of the design process and the scheme was tweaked, changed and reconfigured to acknowledge local feedback.
"The redevelopment has created new revenue streams for the restaurant and bar business, improved visitor footfall and, most critically, increased propensity to spend within the local economy."
The pub is owned by Richard Harpin, the millionaire co-founder of HomeServe plumbing, and Kate Harpin.
They said of the recent work: “We were very excited with the shape of the plans as they evolved, and the finished result has exceeded our expectations.
"We have 12 beautiful guest bedrooms, every one of them perfect in its own way.
"The beer garden has been flanked by the new buildings, making an atmospheric, sheltered and relaxing place to enjoy a pint and a tasty plate.
"The buildings, imagined as agricultural stables, stores, and barn, work brilliantly in our setting, and I have no doubt will get even better with age and weather.
"However, best of all, our guests love it, and the sense of pride exuded by the staff is wonderful.
"Since reopening, business has never been better.”
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