LITERARY icon James Herriot has been honoured by the recently reopened country inn where he was a regular.

The Black Bull at Moulton has been refurbished by Provenance Inns and marked Yorkshire Day on Friday by immortalising North Yorkshire author Alf Wight when the James Herriot private dining room was opened.

Mr Wight’s son Jim, and daughter Rosie Page, attended the event which included a champagne barbecue on the inn’s terrace.

Guests enjoyed the Taste of Yorkshire Table, featuring the seafood selection and oyster bar for which the inn is renowned, as well as a selection of homemade burgers.

A donation was made to the Herriot Hospice Foundation for each plate sold.

Alf Wight celebrated his golden wedding anniversary with wife Joan at the Black Bull, Moulton, three years before his death in 1995.

The writer is famed for his collections of stories inspired by his early veterinary surgeon experiences in rural North Yorkshire which were later adapted for feature films in the 1970s and the long-running BBC Series All Creatures Great and Small.

Provenance managing director Michael Ibbotson said: “Alf Wight was a regular visitor to the Black Bull during its golden years and it seemed fitting to dedicate a room to his memory as we enter this exciting new phase for the inn.

“We are delighted to name our largest private dining room at the James Herriot Suite, in memory of author Alf Wight and in the support of Herriot Hospice.

“It is particularly fitting that the charity provides homecare in the same area of North Yorkshire as James Herriot’s rounds as a vet.

“As Jim Wight said to me at the opening today, his dad would have been absolutely delighted to have a room named after him in his favourite pub.”