12th century former wedding venue given a new lease of life
Pinchinthorpe Hall, the award-winning grade II listed former wedding venue near Guisborough in Cleveland, has been leased to a local operator through specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co.
Situated near the edge of the North York Moors National Park and overlooking the Roseberry Topping, Pinchinthorpe Hall dates back to the 12th century. Boasting six character en suite rooms, four formal reception rooms, a self contained two bedroom flat and cottage and 10 acres of land including a paddock it is surrounded by natural woodland and even has its own moat and medieval gardens, which are listed as Ancient Monuments and are noted to be of national importance.
Local brothers George and John Tinsley took over the hall in 1997, spearheading its ambitious re-development and extensive refurbishment to restore the entire property to open the boutique hotel, wedding venue and small brewery in the stable block. The property ceased trading as a hotel and wedding venue in 2011 and has lain vacant since, other than the continued operation of the microbrewery.
In 2016, George Tinsley instructed Christie & Co to find a tenant to re-open the site as a boutique hotel or wedding venue.
Mark Worley, Director at Christie & Co who handled the sale comments, “As the establishment had not traded for some 5 years or so, the challenge for any new tenant operator was to start a wedding business from scratch, particularly given the cash flow issues for wedding venues, which tend to rely on bookings a year or so in advance. Fortunately, our clients’ background in this field meant that they were sympathetic to this scenario and were happy to offer a rent free period and flexible lease terms to allow any new tenant time to grow their business. We introduced local John Borthwick to our clients and a new lease was signed in late October 2017.”
John Borthwick owns a successful marketing and IT business, but has decided to take a change of career and break away from office life. John, excited about the potential of Pinchinthorpe Hall, comments; “When I first visited the manor house, I was taken by the charm and uniqueness of the building. It just didn’t seem right to have it standing empty and I’m looking forward to getting people in there and bringing it back to life again.
“The business will have two distinct areas, the boutique hotel is to be renamed Manor House Hotel and the microbrewery will be transformed into an 80 cover restaurant named Cliff Rigg. We have some great ideas for the look and feel of the restaurant and have a lot of work to do before the opening in early 2018. I can’t wait to hold our first wedding at the venue too!”
