From constabulary to hospitality: New Northallerton Inn opens

Once home to law and order Northallerton’s former police station has opened as the place where customers definitely choose to spend time inside.

It’s been five years since the last case was closed at Northallerton’s Police Station. Now cases of a very different kind are being unpacked, as the doors to The Northallerton Inn have opened following a multi-million pound redevelopment by owners, The Inn Collection Group.

The pub with rooms on Northallerton’s High Street was officially opened by John Proud, retired inspector of Northallerton Police Station, who was in charge there between 1995 and 2003. Onlookers cheered as John cut through a police tape and The Northallerton Inn was opened as North Yorkshire’s newest place to eat, drink, sleep and explore from.

John was given a show around the building including his former office and the station’s custody suite which has been transformed into heritage-style bedrooms which still retain some original features that give an arresting nod to its former past, including the main entrance and staircase.

John said: “The transformation is amazing. The décor is very tasteful and I guarantee the bedrooms – in particular, the cell bedrooms – will be far more comfortable than the accommodation we had to offer. One thing that does remain the same is the view from my old office window.

“It has been lovely reminiscing on the layout of the old station and its remarkable conversion. It has certainly brought back many memories, but now it is time to look forward. The conversion is remarkable. I am delighted to see that The Inn Collection Group has breathed new life into the building.”

Instead of being behind them, customers can now order their favourite drinks and meals at the bar which is open daily with food served from 7.30am until 9.00pm.

The ground floor of the Grade II listed building has been transformed into a series of contemporary, relaxed spaces for people to eat and drink inside, while a self-contained snug called The Custody Suite provides seating for 20 people.

The opening of The Northallerton Inn follows an 18-month redevelopment project by award-winning hospitality experts The Inn Collection Group, who purchased the site in 2020. The Georgian building had been a police station for 30 years and was previously a Local Authority office and public library.

It had been empty since North Yorkshire Police services were moved to new Force headquarters at Alverton Court in 2017.

Managing director of The Inn Collection Group Sean Donkin said: “This has been a particularly exciting project for us. We are delighted with the transformation of this very special building. It has such a fascinating past we wanted to pull out all the stops to give justice to this. Giving it a brand new purpose and watching it come to life with customers of all ages after so long is brilliant to see.

“Northallerton is a great country town with bags of character and The Northallerton Inn is at the heart of it. We are very happy to be trading and being part of the community here, with a new venue that local people and visitors can enjoy, providing year-round food, drink and accommodation services.”

General manager of The Northallerton Inn Jules Gibson said: “I am so proud to see our doors finally open. Seeing people’s reactions when they walked in has been amazing. The inn is everything we planned it to be – a lovely, laid-back place where people can pop in for a drink or good food in a home-from-home environment. We’re also dog friendly – so it’s brought a smile to my face seeing lots of happy, wagging tails as well.

“We have an outstanding team of staff who are as excited as I am to be open for business and being part of the fabric in Northallerton.”

Outside Northallerton, The Inn Collection Group’s trading Yorkshire venues include The King’s Head Inn at Newton-under-Roseberry, The Black Swan at Helmsley, The Stables at Whitby and the Dean Court in York. It also owns The St George in Harrogate, The Ripon Spa Hotel in Ripon and The Dower House in Knaresborough which are currently being refurbished.

The Northallerton Inn on 72 High Street, Northallerton is open daily, with food served from 7.30am until 9.00pm.