General Tarleton Inn, Harrogate Road, Ferrensby, Knaresborough, HG5 0PZ

This impressive and imposing coaching inn boasts a wealth of period charm including oak beams and exposed stone walls and flooring and has been recently refurbished and upgraded to an excellent standard by the present owners, and very much deserving of its AA 5 Star Inn accreditation.

Sitting on a 0.8 acre site, and with ample parking and external drinking and dining space, the building has a welcoming entrance and reception area, a tastefully presented restaurant and bar which seats up to 90 diners and also opens to a light and airy dining atrium. Additional food and beverage space is provided by the wonderful fine dining room which has the “Attic” directly above which in turn can seat 20 guests around one large table and has exposed stone walls and oak beams.

The kitchen is of an excellent size with a good range of cooking, washing, cooling and refrigeration appliances, plus ample preparation areas. There is also very spacious managers/staff or owner’s accommodation in the form or a four bedroom apartment plus shower room and kitchen although this could be converted to three bedrooms and a lounge depending on the needs of the new owners.

The General Tarleton is situated on the main road through Ferrensby, a lovely hamlet to the north of the very popular riverside town of Knaresborough, and is also surrounded by some of the most highly sought after towns in North Yorkshire such as the cathedral city of Ripon and the massively renowned and much visited spa town of Harrogate.

The A1(m) is just three miles away and this provides road links to the wider region which includes The Yorkshire Dales and The North York Moors National Parks and further afield to the cities of York and Leeds.

As well as the AA 5 Star Inn award and the AA Rosette for Culinary Excellence, The General Tarleton also scores very highly on booking websites with 4.5 out of 5 “Excellent” on TripAdvisor and 9 out of 10 Superb on Booking.com. Other platforms score as follows; Facebook 4.6 out of 5, Yorkshire-hotel.com 9 out of 10 and Kayak 8.9 out of 10.

There are 15 spacious and well-proportioned en suite bedrooms each of which is presented to a high degree of style and taste with en suite bathrooms/shower rooms.

These range from cosy doubles to deluxe super kings with 40“TV screens, organic toiletries and high thread count bed linen and all the rooms are located in the bedroom block to the rear of the building, away from the bar and restaurant areas.

The General Tarleton sits on a generous 0.8 acre providing the possible option of further expansion and development, subject to appropriate planning permission.

The recently laid tarmac car park, which extends to the side and rear of the building, provides over 50 parking spaces and to the rear is a large purpose-built timber shed, ideal for storage.

The very attractive paved terrace enjoys a good degree of privacy and sunshine and offers alfresco drinking and dining.

The sale represents an excellent opportunity for an owner operator or hospitality led group to capitalise on the significant capital investment made by the current owners, as well as the enviable reputation and client base, and to take the business to the next level.

The business has only been trading in the hands of the current owners since mid 2021 but in that time, they have carried out a significant revamp and overhaul or the building and the operation. Turnover for the 12 months to the end of October 2023 is around £850,000 with trade splits as follows;- Food 42%, Drinks 26% and Rooms 32%.