A half a million pounds-plus refurbishment of The Greyhound in Cromford is set to begin this August, marking the next major step in the return of one of Derbyshire’s most recognisable buildings.
The historic Market Place inn, built by Richard Arkwright in 1778, is being brought back to life through major investment by Admiral Taverns, working closely with incoming operators Greg and Sarah Dufton.
Greg and Sarah live locally with their two sons and bring 30 years of combined experience across hospitality, events, media and marketing.
Two decades of that experience were spent in Dubai, UAE, where they created and operated entertainment concepts for venues including Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and Atlantis The Palm.
Greg is the owner of Belong Bar in Derby, which has been named Best Bar in the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards for the past two years.
Sarah’s career spans consumer-led marketing and communications roles, including editor of the Middle East editions of celebrity lifestyle magazines OK! and HELLO!
The couple plan to create a warm, characterful and premium-yet-approachable pub, restaurant and rooms offer that feels rooted in the village.
The vision is to serve the local community while reflecting The Greyhound’s position at the heart of Cromford.
“The Greyhound is a landmark building in a village with an incredible history, and we know how much people care about what happens next,” said Greg.
“Cromford and the surrounding area is stunning, and has so much to offer. We want The Greyhound to give people another reason to visit, stay longer, and see Cromford as the destination it deserves to be.”
The refurbishment project is expected to take around eight weeks.
Work will cover the pub, bar, dining spaces, kitchen, nine guest bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms, as well as the external terrace.
Customers can expect a renewed Greyhound to reopen this autumn, designed to work across the whole day.
The offer will include coffee stops, breakfast, lunch, drinks, dinner, events, overnight stays and destination trips.
Kiernan Lynch, Regional Operations Director at Admiral Taverns, said: “The Greyhound is a very special pub and hotel, and we are delighted to be working with Greg and Sarah as it moves into an exciting new era.
“They bring the experience, energy and commerciality needed for a building of this importance, and we have really enjoyed collaborating with them over recent months to make sure the plans reflect both the opportunity of the site, and its importance to Cromford.
“We are always keen to invest in our pubs to ensure their long term futures, and our initial £450k investment set aside for this project showed our confidence in The Greyhound – with so many passionate people now part of the team, this amount has been far exceeded.
“As work prepares to begin, we are excited to move from months of careful planning into delivery, and to continue working with Greg and Sarah as The Greyhound enters this next major stage.”
“The Greyhound doesn’t just sit in Cromford. It is Cromford,” Sarah added.
“We know people care deeply about both its past and its future, and we feel the responsibility that comes with that.
“Our job now is to take all the planning, all the ambition, and all the belief behind this project, and turn it into a place local people can feel genuinely proud of.
“Cromford has been waiting for this. And so have we.”
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