The Wensleydale Hotel, 28 Market Place Middleham, Leyburn, DL8 4PE

The Wensleydale Hotel enjoys a prominent and central position in the picturesque town of Middleham, one of the most sought after places in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Renowned for its magnificent medieval Castle, the childhood home of Richard III, Middleham is also famous for its 15 horse racing stables earning the town the nickname of “the Newmarket of the North”. The Castle and the horseracing heritage plus the proximity to a multitude of tourist attractions including Forbidden Corner, Jervaulx Abbey, Richmond Castle and a host of quaint “Dales” towns such as Leyburn, Ripon and Masham, as well as the stunning beauty of the fells and valleys of the National Park, all help to swell visitor trade into the area.

On the ground floor of the hotel there is the reception area and charming cafe/bar with some lovely features, including a log burning stove, stone walls and floor, and oak beams. The bar servery provides draft and bottled beers plus wines and spirits, as well as teas and coffees, light lunches and cream teas.  
 
The restaurant is “The Tack Room” in keeping with the horse racing theme of the town and surrounding area and has earned 2 AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence. Offering seating for up to 40 diners, the room is “L” Shaped and spacious with its own wine counter and enjoys a pleasant outlook to the front across the cobbled town square. Further dining space is available in the private function room to the rear which boasts some lovely period features and can accommodate up to 16 diners on one table.

The commercial catering kitchen is of an excellent size with a good range of cooking and refrigeration equipment, ample preparation surfaces, storage areas and washing facilities. The kitchen refurbishment was completed at the beginning of 2022 with a range of brand new equipment including induction oven, bread oven, new flooring, cladding and pot wash.

To the rear of the building is the manager’s flat which comprises: sitting room kitchen and bedroom whilst on the second and third floors there is further accommodation currently used for staff, but which could be converted to additional letting rooms subject to architects plans and building regulations. Presently it comprises five rooms plus two bathrooms.

There are 17 en suite bedrooms, eleven of which are on the first floor and a further six on the second floor and these comprise: Superior doubles, feature doubles and cosy doubles with two junior suites and one single. Many of these rooms offer a view of the market square and castle beyond and are elegantly and tastefully presented in a style appropriate to the building and its history. One room in each category is dog friendly.

All include a 32” Flat Screen TV, Egyptian cotton sheets, fluffy towels and Temple Spa toiletries. Three of the rooms at the rear of the building are currently used for family members and would require some minor upgrading in order to be used for guest accommodation.  

The hotel has a pavement licence for up to 30 drinking and dining covers at the front of the hotel and at the rear is parking for up to 12 cars, although free parking is available on the market square.

Our seller clients purchased the business in 2019 and have since invested heavily in the upgrading and refurbishing of bedrooms, bathrooms, carpets, furnishings, windows and décor, and transforming the building into the wonderful and charming hotel it is today.

Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic and severe health issues have prevented the owners from fully capitalising on the significant investments they have made, however they are selling a fabulous building and business with excellent reviews on Tripadvisor (4.5 out of 5) and Booking.com (8.1 out of 10) plus a massive amount of client goodwill which has been amassed during their relatively short period of ownership.

Trading information is available on request.

Confirmation of business rates payable should be obtained from the local authority.

Premises licence.