Wedding and events company buys Georgian country hotel

Solberge Hall in Northallerton has been acquired by wedding and events company Wharfedale Grange for an undisclosed sum.

The 24-bedroom Georgian country house hotel is set in 9 acres of woodland situated near the North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales. It has been owned by Classic Lodges hotel group since 2015 when it was purchased for £1.8m.

Wharfedale Grange is a luxury weddings and events venue between Leeds and Harrogate including a purpose-built wedding barn, farmhouse accommodation and floristry shop.

The deal included the purchase of all assets, including the hotel, restaurant, facilities and grounds. All 40 members of staff will be directly transferred to new ownership.

A multi-disciplinary team from Schofield Sweeney advised Wharfedale Grange on the purchase, including Manjit Virdee and Sadia Ali in real estate, Jessica Fielden and Kate Fox in corporate and Craig Burman in environmental and regulatory.

Claire Thomas, chief executive of Wharfedale Grange, said “We were delighted to continue our working relationship with Schofield Sweeney. The team gave invaluable legal advice and assisted in making the purchase a seamless process.”

Thomas added, “Our intention is to substantially enhance and upgrade the 200 year-old manor house hotel over the course of the next year and put it back on the map as Wharfedale Country House, an opulent hospitality destination specialising in luxury weddings and events.

“Solberge Hall fits perfectly into our growing hospitality portfolio.”