Plans for bigger bar at historic Harrogate pub which appeared in national press

One of Harrogate’s oldest surviving traditional inns, the Coach & Horses reopened in July 2022 after a change of ownership and a major reburbishment during the Covid pandemic.

Famed for its warm traditional charm, the C&H made the headlines in The Guardian last week in an article by Kevin Rushby about the best places to visit on a walk round the Harrogate area.

Festively renamed the Sleigh & Reindeers just for the Christmas season, the article in the national newspaper hailed its “top-notch food”.

Before it closed temporarily in May 2020, the pub was popular for its warm lighting and wood, its pork pie nights and Sunday roasts, its lack of piped music or TV screens, the relaxed buzz and natural atmosphere.

The refurbishment by new owners The Provenance Collection, who also own The West Park in Harrogate, aimed to keep the atmosphere of a pub dubbed “Harrogate’s last traditional pub” was far from a cosmetic exercise, involving a reconfiguration of the downstairs and the launch of an upstairs dining room for the first time.

Now, in a response to customer demand, the C&H is to undergo another rejig.

It’s really only the matter of moving the bar a bit and adding a new one upstairs but, when it’s one of best-loved establishments in Harrogate, it means a lot to the town.

Anthony Blundell, Head of Business Development at Provenance Collection, said: "The licensing application is for moving the bar.

"This is in response to the feedback we've received from our guests since our reopening in summer 2022 that our guests would like to have a much larger bar that they can sit or stand at as well.

"Furthermore, adding a further bar upstairs in the first floor dining room to service the diners and make it extra appealing for private parties of up to 50 guests."

The Coach & Horses is listed in one of the first-ever guides to Harrogate published in 1840.