New look for Inn Collection Group sites
The Ripon Inn will be the new name for the Edwardian property which was acquired by the group in June 2021, while the spa town premises will become the Harrogate Inn upon reopening this summer.
Both venues have had a new coat of arms created based on iconography about their locations, keeping with the company’s brand style.
For The Ripon Inn, the crest is made up of a shield flanked by a pair of stags, linking to the historical coat of arms of the Earl and Marquess or Ripon.
The left half of the shield contains a representation of the Ripon horn in recognition of the history of the wakemen and hornblowers, one of the longest ongoing traditions in the world.
Sitting on a red background — a colour scheme and motif that appear in the city’s coat of arms – this is combined with a yellow chevron which is again informed by the Earl and Marquess of Ripon’s heraldry.
In the works
The right-hand side of the shield features a stylised illustration of the grade one listed Ripon Cathedral and its Early English gothic West front, dating back to 1220 and regarded as one of the best examples of its type.
The 43-bedroom premises – which is set in six acres of gardens – has been closed to guests since July 2020 and is currently undergoing an extensive internal and external refurb.
The Harrogate Inn’s new coat of arms sees the left half of the shield contain a red and white asymmetrical crossed pattern taken from the town’s original coat of arms, together with the white rose of Yorkshire.
The right-hand side of the shield features a lion ‘passant’ taken from the borough council’s arms, and this is bounded top and bottom by repeating wavy lines to reflect the importance of springs in the town’s history.
Exciting future
Supporting the shield are a pair of griffins taken from the crest of the Slingsby family, who were instrumental in bringing prosperity to the town through Sir William Slingsby and his discovered of the first spring in Harrogate, the Tewitt Well, more than 300 years ago.
The Inn Collection Group marketing manager Zoe Cooper said the pubco was “excited” to confirm the sites’ new looks.
She continued: “As with the new names we have unveiled for other sites recently, including the Knaresborough Inn, we have looked to embrace the history of the wider area and we hope the new look will create a talking point that serves as a link to the past while the site embarks on an exciting future.
“With both sites we have adopted the name of the locale for the property, which allows us to introduce its setting more easily for potential visitors who may be considering a stay, allowing them to look further into what all these fantastic places have to offer.”
Once complete, the revamped guest accommodation at the Ripon Inn will provide a mix of double, twin and family bedrooms, accessible rooms, suites, and dog friendly rooms.
It will see an additional 15 en-suite rooms created and will see a reconfiguration across the ground floor areas with a full new bar and kitchen area constructed.
The refurbishment at the Harrogate Inn will see six new bedrooms added on the ground floor as well as a complete transformation of the venue’s hospitality spaces.
