Historic Yorkshire Inn Seeks New Innkeeper: Wensleydale Hotel Up for Sale
The historic Rose & Crown Hotel in Bainbridge, Yorkshire, dating back to 1445 and considered one of the oldest pubs in the region, is being put up for sale with a guide price of £550,000. The property includes an 11-bedroom hotel, restaurant, three bars, and the opportunity to acquire an additional seven-acre plot of land suitable for tourism-related development. The current owner, a former RAF pilot and airline captain, is retiring after 25 years of running the business, which is described as having enormous potential for growth in the popular Yorkshire Dales area.
The Rose & Crown Hotel in the picturesque Wensleydale village of Bainbridge has been put up for sale. Dating back to 1445, the historic, grade II listed restaurant and inn is thought to be one of the oldest pubs in Yorkshire. It has been put on the market for a guide price of £550,000 with commercial property estate agent Ernest Wilson.
As well as the Rose & Crown’s imposing 11-bedroom hotel, restaurant and three separate bars, the former coaching inn comes with the opportunity to acquire an additional seven-acre plot of paddock land that runs down to the banks of the River Ure. The site has the potential for tourism-related development such as glamping pods or shepherds huts.
Mark Czajka, a director at Ernest Wilson, said: “The Rose & Crown is a really cracking business that’s being run at quite a low level currently. The owner, who had an exciting career as an RAF pilot and then as an airline captain before becoming a publican and hotelier, is gearing up to take his well-earned retirement after 25 years running the business.
“It’s such a well-loved institution, by locals and guests alike, and the village of Bainbridge is a must-visit destination for tourists all year round. It’s a great base for anyone visiting the Dales, with Aysgarth Falls and Hawes just down the road, and the village itself used as a filming location for the original BBC TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small.”
Located on the village green in Bainbridge, the Rose & Crown retains a host of original features from its long history, including stone-flagged floors and timber ceiling beams. The hotel’s restaurant seats 85 people and the bedrooms accommodate 26 guests.
“The hotel has enormous potential to be escalated to become a much more dynamic and profitable business and there is great scope in this beautiful area of the Yorkshire Dales, which is a real honeypot for visitors,” said Mr Czajka.
“Not surprisingly, we have had a great deal of interest from potential buyers – business opportunities like the Rose & Crown, which is the epitome of a historic Yorkshire pub and hotel, certainly don’t come along very often.”
