Pictures: See inside as Pinchinthorpe Hall gets ready to reopen

Sitting between Great Ayton and Guisborough at the edge of the North York Moors, the six-bedroom mansion commands stunning views of Roseberry Topping and open countryside.

New owner, Simon Fletcher, 33, has the Baker Street Kitchen in Middlesbrough, and acquired the hall in August last year. He used the lockdown period to restore the Grade II-listed Manor House, introducing some new furniture and freshening up the paintwork.

He said: “I’m from Sheffield originally and started off as a chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant before managing pub businesses, then managing the Cena (restaurant) in Yarm. I was there for three years and then took on the Baker Street Kitchen in Middlesbrough.”

One of the private dining rooms at Pinchinthorpe Hall

He added: “We’re going to run the Stables as the restaurant, with space for 60 covers, and in the main house will be private dining, and a hotel, for special events and weddings. There is space for marquees for special events.

"We’ve got six bedrooms with four ready to go and two more to renovate, but won’t be opening the bedrooms 'til July time, just because as a new business we want to gradually increase what we’re doing. We’ll be doing afternoon teas as well.

"We’ll be serving modern British food and will have some fine dining.”

The dinner menu is available from 5pm, with lunch served from noon-3pm.

Simon Fletcher in the Stables Restaurant at Pinchinthorpe Hall

The main hall will provide the setting for afternoon tea, whilst the Butlers Bar will open for walkers and the public for a drink or teas and coffees. There is a courtyard for alfresco dining, plus two private dining rooms, which will be available to be used for dining, clubs and private meetings.

The first part of the hall to open will be the Stables restaurant, which is to the left of the main building with its own entrance and car park, followed by the reception rooms, which can be used for weddings. Mr Fletcher said: “We’ll be able to do weddings up to 100 people in the house and 160 people in the night. If we have a bigger wedding, we can get a marquee.”

He added: “We’ve got a good team around us. The head chef here, Chris Garcia, has just come from Middleton Lodge and has worked at Lartington Hall and Seaham Hall. The general manager is Joe Bearpark. He worked for me at Cena as assistant manager and has also been general manager at the Devonport (Middleton-one-Row). He’s been on board since September and has been helping with renovations until lockdown in November."

The hall dates back to the 12th Century when the Norman family of Pinchun held land there. Previous owners have included Richard Lee, who went on to become Lord Mayor of London in 1461, Sir Joseph Pease, banker, and owner of coal and ironstone mines in Durham and Yorkshire, and a director of numerous companies, who made significant improvements to the hall, and Sir Penry Williams, a local MP.

Mr Fletcher said: “Long term we’d like to look at expanding the second floor into extra accommodation. We will look at the potential to do camping options in the overflow field (car park) and there is quite a lot of scope to expand the business further. Initially we’ll be opening Wednesday to Thursday until we get established as a new business and then we’ll gradually open more days and hours.”

Initial opening hours will Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 9pm and noon to 4pm on Sundays.