The Boar's Head Hotel & Birchwood House Annexe, Ripley, Near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3

INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION

The Boar's Head Hotel is an impressive, well appointed and historically significant country hotel, long recognised for its character, charm and excellent reputation. Occupying a prominent position in the highly sought after village of Ripley in North Yorkshire, the hotel benefits from an enviable trading location between the elegant spa town of Harrogate and the historic cathedral city of Ripon.

Perhaps most importantly for a hotel of this calibre, the property sits within one of the region’s most visited heritage destinations. Ripley is renowned for its unique estate village layout, its striking architecture and its close association with Ripley Castle which stands immediately beside the hotel. The castle, its parkland and extensive events programme and wedding venue attract visitors throughout the year, while the surrounding area provides easy access to some of North Yorkshire’s most celebrated landscapes and attractions including the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, RHS Harlow Carr and world heritage site Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal. Together, these destinations draw significant numbers of leisure travellers, walkers, cyclists and day visitors, all of whom contribute to a strong and consistent trading base.

Accessibility to the property is excellent. Ripley lies just off the A61, a key arterial route linking Harrogate, Ripon and the wider Yorkshire region, with convenient connections to the A1(M) offering travel to Leeds, York and beyond. This strategic positioning ensures robust levels of passing trade, supports corporate and mid week demand and places the hotel within easy reach of numerous wedding venues, visitor destinations and affluent population centres.

Together with the adjoining coach house and the attractive Birchwood House located opposite the main building, the hotel presents a cohesive and charming collection of Grade II listed properties that retain a strong sense of place and authenticity.

The property has operated as a successful hotel for many years, adapting sensitively over time to meet evolving guest expectations whilst preserving its architectural integrity and traditional atmosphere. Well regarded by both visitors and local residents, the hotel offers a compelling opportunity for a new owner to build upon its established strengths. Its prime location, historic appeal, extensive accommodation and sizeable untapped potential in weddings, events and premium dining provide a significant platform for future development.

THE PROPERTY

The Boar’s Head is contained within two separate buildings: the main Hotel, which includes the Coach House and Birchwood House, which is situated directly opposite on the other side of Main Street.

The main building was originally built as a coaching inn as the first stop for the Leeds to Edinburgh service, while Birchwood House was a private residence, both built during the early part of the 19th century. Both are of traditional construction under pitched, hipped and slate covered roofs. The accommodation in the main Hotel is arranged on basement, ground and first floors with additional attic space. The accommodation in Birchwood House is arranged on ground and first floors with an attic for storage.

The main Hotel occupies the larger site and includes all of the public areas as well as 18 letting bedrooms, nine of which are contained in the Courtyard Suite (former coach house) and are accessed externally. Birchwood House has the remaining six bedrooms.

The main Hotel, the courtyard suite and Birchwood House are all separately listed Grade II.

PUBLIC AREAS

The hotel may be entered either from the front where it overlooks an attractive cobbled courtyard and the village square, or from the rear via the main car park and a glass paned conservatory-style porch that protects the entrance.

From the front door, a small internal vestibule leads into a welcoming reception hall with reception counter, office and staircase directly ahead.

To the left, and overlooking the village square, is the lounge. This is an attractive and characterful room that seats about nine persons. It has an attractive open fireplace and a discreet door connecting this room to the adjacent public bar/bistro that is to the rear.

To the right-hand side of the main entrance there is the front dining room which has a seating capacity for 25 persons and double folding doors connecting to the rear restaurant.

The rear restaurant is a most attractive and opulently decorated room with an advised capacity of around 54 covers.

There are two entrances into the public bar/bistro: one via the lounge and the second leading from the garden courtyard to the rear. There is a centrally positioned wooden bar and benefits from circa 45 covers.

There are ladies, gentlemens and disabled persons toilet facilities situated to the rear of the bar/bistro.

LETTING BEDROOMS

23 individually designed en suite letting bedrooms arranged as follows:
Suites – Two
Superior – One
Family (zip and link double/twin plus Z bed) – Three
Double – Four
Double/Twin - 14

The bedrooms are arranged as nine in the main building, eight in the Courtyard Suite and six in Birchwood House.

The bedrooms vary in size and style dependent on which part of the hotel they are situated in, with the generally larger, more traditional rooms contained in the main hotel and Birchwood House and the more contemporary rooms found in the Courtyard Suite, as well as the two suites.

All of the bedrooms offer the same mix of facilities, which include direct dial telephones, televisions, Bush radio, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, ironing boards and hospitality tray.

The majority of the letting bedrooms have an en suite bath with overhead shower together with WC and wash hand basin. Six bedrooms have a shower cubicle only and two of the bedrooms in Birchwood House have a bath with separate walk-in shower cubicle.

SERVICE AREAS

The hotel kitchen is situated to the rear of the restaurant with a separate access leading from the car park into an enclosed bin storage area.

The main trade entrance is off the main street which makes deliveries easier.

The kitchen has a full commercial style trade inventory in place and there is also a wash up area, preparation area and storage space together with a staff toilet.

Elsewhere in the hotel there is a laundry room, a linen room and a dry goods store that is accessed via the courtyard and basement cellarage that comprises a beer store, wine & spirits store and plant room. There is additional storage space in the attic of the main Hotel and also in Birchwood House, the latter also having a housekeeper’s store at first floor level.

OUTSIDE

To the front of the main property is a valuable high profile cobbled beer garden as well as the Grade II listed Market Cross and Village Stocks.

Car parking is to the front and rear of the main hotel for approximately 20 vehicles with additional car parking to the rear of Birchwood House for at least four vehicles.

SERVICES

North Yorkshire Council -
Mains three phase electricity
Mains water and drainage.
Mains gas.
Gas fired central heating.
Wi-Fi available throughout.

LICENCES

Premises Licence.

TRADE

The Boar’s Head Hotel re-opened for business in around 1990 having been a traditional coaching inn called the Star Inn. Since then, it has traded successfully as a standalone business within the Ripley Castle Estate focussed on the leisure market with some corporate occupancy derived from events held at the Castle.

The business is highly popular with an outstanding reputation and offers an excellent product for which there is little to no immediate competition, leading to strong levels of repeat business as well as good levels of local trade throughout the week.

Functions and weddings at the Castle are also a source of occupancy and coupled with trade from events in the local area, private leisure trade, society meetings and shooting parties, the split of trade is relatively even between accommodation, food and beverage.

The business has traded successfully with a settled core team and Year End 31st March 2025 show a net Turnover of £1,599,829.

This excellent product and business coupled with trading upsides makes this a rarely available and exciting opportunity for a new owner to take the hotel to the next level.

OPPORTUNITIES

It is anticipated there is a great deal of upside in the business to take advantage of the trade available.

These include:
• Increasing room rate through property improvement works
• Marketing for more passing F&B trade vs limited local competition.
• Increase marketing for event accommodation at higher room rates.
• Increase profitability through cost review.

PRICE

Guide Price £1,950,000 are invited for the freehold, complete with goodwill and trade contents (according to inventory), excluding personal items. Stock at valuation.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE RATING

Hotel – B
Birchwood House - C

TO VIEW

All appointments to view must be made through the vendors' agents who are acting with joint sole selling rights. Please make no direct approach to the hotel.