Plans are in to open a craft ale house on one of York’s best-known streets.
If permission is granted by City of York Council, The Little Ale House could soon be serving beer from the middle of Stonegate.
The bar would open in the building which once housed the Little Bettys Café Tearooms. It shut in September 2021.
Numbers 46, 48 and 50 Stonegate are still owned by Bettys & Taylors.
The ground floor of 46 Stonegate is now occupied by the Harrogate Tipple gin shop. The House of Trembling Madness occupies the ground floor of 48-50, as well as the rear half of the first floor.
However, much of the first and second floors of 46, 48 and 50 Stonegate currently stand empty, and this is where the new bar would go.
“The Little Ale House in Harrogate was created by husband and wife team, Richard and Daniel Park in 2016,” a planning statement says.
“The aim of the business was to create a traditional pub in the heart of Harrogate which celebrates local ales and provides a cosy environment for people to meet and socialise without the distractions of TVs or background music.
“The owners of The Little Ale House business are not only passionate about traditional pubs but also historic buildings, therefore the opportunity to open a pub in 46, 48 and 50 Stonegate was a natural pairing.”
The Grade II*-listed run of houses date back as far as the 15th century, being raised in height in the 1700s, with shopfronts added in Victorian times.
Among the alterations proposed are:
- the replacement of a modern plywood floor covering with reclaimed tongue and groove timber
- the removal of modern suspended ceilings to expose joists in the first floor front rooms
- timber panelling added to walls
- a free standing bar and back bar installed within the first floor of 46 Stonegate
- the removal of the hearth in the bar, with the historic fire surround to be retained.
“The presence of independent shops and bars along this street help to preserve its character and protect the area from becoming over-commercialised,” the planning documents state.
They conclude: “Overall the proposals seek to enhance the key spaces by sympathetically refurbishing the rooms by retaining and celebrating historic features, removing modern detracting elements and reinstating appropriate materials such as timber floors.”
You can read and comment on the plans here.