Refurbishment for historic Harrogate pub as new owners take over

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Brunning and Price, which owns a group of 80 pub restaurants primarily in the Northwest of England and North Wales but with a substantial branch of the family in the South, said it was thrilled to have received the keys for the Nelson Inn.

Located on Skipton Road on the outskirts of Harrogate, the Nelson Inn was built around 1776 and remained as a private house until early in the 19th century.

For much of its early years the pub used to be more or less a farm with a sack over the door where locals came in for a drink.

It first received its name when Lord Nelson‘s great victory at Trafalgar thrilled the whole country around 1805 and the name has remained all that time, except for a short spell of being Chez La Vie in 2019.

Brunning and Price, which pride themselves in encouraging each of its pubs to have its own style and flavour, now plan to spend the next few months refurbishing and restoring this historic building in order to open as early as possible.

Mary Willcock, Manager Director for Brunning and Price said: ‘’You’ll find us traditional in style, with wooden floors, bookcases, open fires, trusty old furniture and lots of rugs and plants. We love to restore old buildings, learning about the character they have within them.

"We think simple things done well are often the best and we want to create a friendly atmosphere in attractive surroundings where locals, regulars and new customers can meet, eat, drink and relax.

"That for us, is what being a good pub in the heart of its community is all about.’’

The new owners of the Nelson Inn say they will have lots of job opportunities available, including management, chefs, front of house, cleaners and gardeners.

The most likely date for reopening is October.

The Nelson Inn will be in good company as Brunning and Price also own the Highwayman in Kirkby Lonsdale, the Bull at Broughton and the Aspinall Arms in Mitton.

The company says each pub is very much individual, but all hold the same Brunning and Price ideals of what makes a ‘proper pub’; beautiful buildings offering a warm welcome, good cask beers, freshly cooked food, delicious and affordable wine and a good shelf of malt whiskies and gins.

Mary Willcock, Manager Director for Brunning and Price said: "Being foodies, our menu, which will be published on our website each morning, will be something of an eclectic mix, striking a balance of hearty pub classics, complemented by more exotic influences from around the world.

"It changes regularly and reflects the seasons but there’s always a mix of traditional British dishes alongside something a little different."

The new owners say the full list of vacancies for the Nelson Inn will be available to view online soon.

To apply for any role, please email your CV to [email protected] and let us know what you’re looking for.

To follow the progress of the new Nelson Inn, visit www.nelsoninn.co.uk or facebook.com/nelsonharrogate or instagram.com/nelsonharrogate

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