World's best B&B owners ready for new path

SUE and Andrew Burrell had never considered running a B&B when they bought a home in the picturesque market town of Masham, North Yorkshire.

Four years on, they had made headlines all over the globe after being named the best B&B in the world by TripAdvisor.

When their children left home, the Burrells downsized to a two-bed apartment, but when their daughter Deborah, 37, and son, Josh, 30 moved back in 2011, they needed more space and bought a Grade 11 Listed four-bedroom family home in Masham with the idea of sharing the mortgage.

A year later, when Deborah moved into a house of her own and Josh got a teaching post in Egypt, the Burrells found themselves looking for an extra income and decided to open up one of the rooms. Within two years and ten months they were named the number one B&B in the world.

“It was a complete accident, but we’ve loved it because it’s been so much fun,” says Sue.

On a quiet lane, less than a minute’s walk from the historic market square, the property consists of 16th, 17th and 18th Century buildings, including the town’s old Poorhouse (1580), original firestation (1750) and Elizabethan gaol with the original oak cell door.

Sue had been fascinated by the old gaol door for years, but when it finally went up for sale at nearly £500,000, it was more than they could afford.

The house had been on the market for over three years and when the Burrells bought it, in 2011, the price had dropped to £350,000. As the owner had moved to France and needed some equity, she took their apartment and money in part-exchange.

It was badly in need of restoration and over the past five years, the Burrells have spent more than £100,000 on improvements, re-building, restoring, re-wiring and re-decorating every floor, some rooms three times. They had to re-build the roof, add new beams, install a brand new kitchen, boiler, dressing room and office. They only finished the last stage of the re-wiring in January.

“I finally got a proper kitchen with a seven-burner gas hob. Before that, I was cooking on a four ring ceramic hob,” says Sue.

The front of the house has been re-painted three times and the interior has been done out in Farrow & Ball colours. The rooms have a contemporary, nostalgic feel with vintage/art deco furnishings, solid oak bed frames and cushions and curtains from Laura Ashley. Extra touches such as fresh flowers and freshly baked scones on arrival have also won them scores of good reviews.

“We worked down floor by floor,” says Sue. “It has been a labour of love.”

After being named in the top 25 B&Bs in Europe on TripAdvisor, the Burrells decided to open up a second room. A year later, they were named ninth best B&B in the world, so they opened a third. Twelve months later, they had topped the poll.

Apart from one of the rooms being only 7ft high and the first guest to arrive being 7ft 4ins, the biggest challenge was coping with the fame. “It was hard when we won the award because all the bookings for the year came in four days,” says Sue. “We had reporters from all over the world – Russia, Egypt, South Africa, Japan. We only had seven days off in the whole year.”

The house has three guest bedrooms – two have en suite facilities and the third has a private shower room. Although they can accommodate six, some people assumed it was a much larger establishment and they had a call from Japan wanting to book in 28 people.

Right from the start, they knew there were two things they had to get right - comfy beds with a good quality mattress and a first class breakfast, cooked to order with fresh eggs and bacon from the local shop. Having never been a baker, Sue went to the effort of learning different bread recipes from around the world so when international guests arrived, she could make them feel at home.

“My sister gave me a book for Christmas and I spent three months learning a different recipe every day,” she says. “I can now make Irish soda bread, German stollen, Jewish challah and Swiss Wurzelbrot – the only thing I can’t do is Swedish rye bread which came out like a house brick.”

Starched white linen napkins and tablecloths and gold-edged vintage china (a wedding gift belonging to Sue’s mother-in-law) also make guests feel a little bit special.

Andrew was a pub landlord in the Yorkshire Dales for ten years so is also a mine of information on the local area.

As well as great character with low doorways, oak beams and uneven walls, and features such as an original 1580 fireplace, the other selling point is its location with spectacular scenery, river walks and the lively community of Masham. The town has a traditional market twice a week and is home to the Black Sheep and Theakston’s breweries. It has a good range of pubs, shops, restaurants and recreational facilities including a cricket ground and good transport links to the A1, Northallerton and Thirsk with trains to London.

Although they will be sad to leave, the Burrells are now looking forward to some relaxation time. Andrew is retiring to care for family – and do some more trout fishing – while Sue is hoping to draw on the experience and become a B&B guru. The turnover for the business in 2015/2016 was £74,500 and the new owners will acquire a diary full of bookings. So what kind of person would it suit?

“It would suit somebody who loves people and loves showing off their house,” says Sue. “You’d have to be fit, love people and be prepared to hit the ground running.”

Millgate B&B, 5 Millgate, Masham, Ripon is on the market at £499,000 with Buchanan Mitchell (01423-360055) buchananmitchell.com