One of the Lake District's most historic inns is back open for business this spring after The Inn Collection Group (ICG) completed a multi-millionpound refurbishment of The Swan at Grasmere.
Built originally in the 1650s and once the local of William Wordsworth, the renovation by the Newcastle-based company has returned The Swan to its position as an important focal point in its local community. Taking 18 months to complete, the project of works has seen the former hotel revert to being a warm and welcoming country inn that serves both those that call, in Wordsworth’s prose “the loveliest spot man hath ever found home and those visiting the area.
The new look exudes a quintessential feel befitting of The Swan’s history and one that fits into The Inn Collection Group’s signature style, spread out over the ground floor of the main building, the pub side of the building boasts plenty of space in which to relax and recharge, with a cosy feel throughout that embraces more than 350 years of tradition.
Amongst the curios contained within is a chair reputedly used by Wordsworth whilst enjoying flagons of ales at his local, retaining a very tangible link to the site’s roots as a hub for its community.
The high class of the works continues throughout the guest accommodation areas with 48 fully refurbished bedrooms available for guests to book, offering excellent comfort, soothing décor and spectacular vistas of the dramatic Lakeland landscape.
Delivered by The Inn Collection Group’s projects team, Consult North, BXB Interiors, SINE Consulting, Maughan Reynolds Partnership and Design North the inn, under the experienced stewardship of general managers Nellie Bolton and Nigel Brown, is all set to delight guests and build on its heritage of offering warm and welcoming hospitality.
The Swan’s reopening is perfectly timed for the group as the main season of stays in the Lakes begins, boosting its presence in the village and adding a second trading Grasmere site to the estate alongside The Wordsworth Hotel.
It is the first of four sites set to reopen in the Lakes this year, with prime Ambleside venues The Waterhead Inn and The Wateredge Inn on schedule for an early summer completion of their overhauls and The Glenridding Hotel due to see its renovations complete in the autumn.
Once all sites return to trading, ICG will boast 10 properties across the Lake District, placing it firmly as one of the biggest operators within the national park.
Speaking as The Swan reopened for business, Nellie Bolton said: “We’re so pleased to be back open and welcoming guests. It has been a long time since The Swan last had the buzz of making people happy but when they see what has been done in the refurbishment, I’m sure they will agree it has been worth the wait.
“With the doors re-opening as the Easter holidays begin, we hope that the many visitors to Grasmere will pop in to pay us a visit and that those from the village will, as in Wordsworth time, make use of The Swan as part of the community.”
Operations manager Paul Brown said: “Everyone involved with this refurbishment can be very proud of what they have achieved. The Swan has a new air of vitality and there is something suitably poetic that it has re-opened just as Spring is arriving in the Lake District.
“Grasmere is a beautiful village and alongside The Wordsworth Hotel, The Inn Collection Group now has two stunning venues open and ready to help people make the most of their time here, be they visitors or locals.”
With bookings now open, The Swan adds a new venue from which to enjoy one of ICG’s popular Walk Inn Break stays, with the package based around self-guided walking holidays back for a third consecutive summer.
Offering two-night bed and breakfast stays and running until 31st October, the package celebrates the nation’s love for walking – and its fondness for the pub – with dinner on the first night of the stay and a walking pack featuring 20 walks accessible from the Inn also included.
Befitting its status as proudly dog-friendly, all Walk Inn Breaks also see guests’ four-legged companions afforded a free stay.
Away from Cumbria, a year of consolidation will also see high-profile reopenings for ICG in North Yorkshire and North Tyneside as they continue to expand.
In the White Rose County, Harrogate, Knaresborough, and Ripon will see the former Hotel St George, Dower House Hotel and Spa and Ripon Spa Hotel start to offer the conviviality of an inn and embark on new chapters in their histories of making people happy.
Beforehand and to the north, The Stables at Whitby will emerge from the refurbishment of its bar and original accommodation in May, whilst the expansion of the site with a new block of comfortable bedrooms will continue into the autumn.
Sandwiched between this activity, one of the group’s most eagerly anticipated refurbishments will also complete, with The Tynemouth Castle Inn emerging phoenix-like from the former Park Hotel.
An iconic site overlooking the famous Longsands Beach, interest in this much-loved feature of the coastal boulevard between the North Tyneside headland and Whitley Bay has been keen.
Breathing new life into the historic establishment, the works will see an extensive remodelling of the current bar and dining areas along with the site’s existing rooms while a two-storey extension in place of a previously underused function and events area will create additional bedroom space.
A further single-storey construction will add a fish and chip takeaway and ice cream parlour to the Inn’s offering whilst new external seating areas and terraces will be added to maximise the venue’s 180-degree sea views of the famous coastline.
It is an intense period for the company and one that will see its headcount almost double to an anticipated 1,800 people across the group, but one that is a cause for optimism in an industry that has experienced more than its fair share of uncertainty in recent times.
Northern Insight magazine will bring the latest news from these exciting developments throughout the year.