The Potting Shed bar & gardens has opened on site of the former Rutson Hospital in Northallerton after a multi-million pound investment and months of painstaking renovation.
Over 500 specially invited guests were given a preview of the historic building’s new look at a VIP launch night, following its transformation into a garden-themed pub.
They were also the first to sample a selection of craft beers, cocktails and artisan spirits, and dishes from a menu of fresh homemade food which Potting Shed specialises in.
The Potting Shed in Northallerton is the third to be owned and operated by Ormsborough Ltd, which already has similar successful venues in Bingley and Beverley with two more sites opening very soon and further sites in the winter.
Since it acquired the freehold in the new year, the company has carried out a careful refurbishment of the site. That included giving plenty of TLC to its oldest and most recognisable feature: the centuries old vine which gave the grade II listed building its original name ‘Vine House’.
Contractors worked alongside horticulture experts to save and preserve the ancient creeper, bringing it back to its former glory.
Ormsborough Ltd director Allan Harper said the VIP launch night was the perfect opportunity to show Northallerton residents what has been achieved with the refurbishment and what they could look forward to when the bar opens.
He said: “Our aim with the Potting Shed is to offer our customers something different – not just the best quality food and drink, but events and entertainment too. With our VIP launch party, we wanted to give people a taste of that, so we had our chefs create a sample of what they can expect from our menus and we put on live entertainment all night which everyone really enjoyed.”
Potting Shed Northallerton’s general manager Andrew Ingham added: “This is an amazing building which we believe we’ve made even better. We’ve put together a great team here so we’re excited for everyone to come in now we’re open, have fantastic food and drink and just have a really good time with us.”