From gastropub to fine dining destination

Widely regarded as the original gastropub, The Angel Inn at Hetton in the Yorkshire Dales has been reimagined as a fine dining destination. The current owners took over the pub and brought onboard a new chef patron in 2018 with the aim of creating a leading culinary experience. Rural Solutions has worked with The Angel since the start of the journey to redevelop this 15th Century pub as a contemporary dining space with guest accommodation, creating the perfect backdrop for food that has won numerous accolades including a Michelin Star, Gastropub of the Year and the number 2 spot in the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 Restaurants.

Objective

To rejuvenate what was once one of England’s first and finest gastro pubs into a world class restaurant and hospitality venue.

Approach

The Angel is situated in The Yorkshire Dales National Park which has stringent planning controls to protect the character of the area, requiring that all development follows an established Design Guide. The first priority was the refurbishment of the 15th Century inn building to retain key original features such as the main fireplace, while creating a more contemporary open-plan dining space. Externally, the existing render and paintwork were removed to create a stone finish.

The planning application demonstrated that the existing character of the pub and the village would be respected throughout the redesign and addressed the impact on the local road network, traffic and parking, along with an economic impact statement outlining the benefits of job creation, attraction of year-round visitors and associated spend locally and the generation of economic benefit through the local supply chain.

The Angel is now moving into phase 2 of its redevelopment to create further accommodation through conversion of existing buildings previously used as an events venue.

Planning consent was secured in 2018 and after just 12 months of trading, The Angel received its first Michelin star. The development of further accommodation with planning consent secured by Rural Solutions is now under way.