Coastal inn re-opens its doors
Jul 3 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal
TWENTY jobs have been created with the completion of the first phase of a £1.65m revamp of a coastal hotel which has reopened for business.
The refit has added a new bar, dining area, elevated pavilion with coffee shop and eating area to the Bamburgh Castle Inn, which overlooks the harbour in Seahouses. The second phase is expected to be completed in the autumn, generating a further 20 jobs.
The hotel, formerly The Bamburgh Castle Hotel, was bought last year by Lindisfarne Inns. Group director Keith Liddell said: “There has been a lot of anticipation locally and from previous guests for the inn to re-open and we are absolutely delighted that the doors are open once again. The Northumberland coast is definitely a holiday destination on the up thanks to the unprecedented amount of publicity the area has received recently.”
The Inn is looking to attract local people as well as tourists visiting the area.
Geoff Hodgson, chair of the Northeast Tourism Advisory Board, said: “The North East is enjoying more and more visitors each year as the message filters across the UK and further afield that the region is a truly exceptional destination.
“The North East is currently the only region in the whole of the UK to have seen a growth in visitor numbers this year.”
Francis Watson Armstrong, who owns Bamburgh Castle – from which the inn takes its name – pulled the first pint to mark the hotel’s official reopening .
