A popular 16^th century coaching inn has completed a significant refurbishment this Spring to create three new ultra luxurious guest suites.

The Dalesman Country Inn is an award-winning pub with rooms in the heart of picturesque Sedbergh, which has been operated as a family business for the past 37 years. Prior to the renovation and historically, the first floor of the pub had provided accommodation for the family.

The extensive refurbishment began in January and was completed just 9 weeks later.

Owner, Mike Garnett said, “The pressure was on to complete the work to a deadline, as we had bookings secured from 25^th March for visitors attending the local Sedbergh Super 10’s Rugby tournament.”

He added, “It was definitely a testing time! Our builders and tradespeople worked during the week and then on Friday afternoons, it all stopped so we could do a deep clean to make everywhere tidy and presentable as we had all our other rooms fully booked throughout February and March at the weekends”.

As with many historic building renovations, the work uncovered some surprises including sections of reed roof covering, a material commonly used to thatch roofs on buildings of the era. Mike explained, “We expected to see some old latte and plaster but we were very surprised to find the reed thatching in the ceilings. We had to strip all the old materials away and replace them, along with the floorboards, making it a much bigger job than anticipated”.

Mike and partner, Hannah along with renowned interior designer, Peter Silk created individual design themes for each of the rooms that would draw on the colour palette of the surrounding landscape, selecting natural fabrics such as Herdwick lambswool carpets whilst subtly incorporating a range of high-tech modern touches including solar-powered automatic blinds, smart mirrors, free-standing roll top baths and Samsung The Frame TV’s.

Speaking about the design choices, Mike said, “We wanted the accommodation to be in-keeping with the building and the local area, so we chose to expose and restore the stunning original beams and even named the two new suites after the landforms.

“We sourced a stunning range of soft furnishings that would complement the style of the rooms, including fabrics and papers from Mulberry, Andrew Martin, Linwood and William Yeoward. We’re absolutely delighted with the finished result.”

The new rooms are now available to be booked online on a room only, bed and breakfast or dinner, bed and breakfast basis. The Dalesman also has a Rosette-standard restaurant serving a seasonal menu based around the finest locally sourced ingredients. To find out more or book a room or dining reservation, visit thedalesman.co.uk