A much-loved village pub which has suffered two major fires is to re-open next year under new ownership.

The Tiger Inn at Coneythorpe, between Knaresbrough and the A1 (M) has been closed since August last year, following its second fire.

The popular pub suffered a first fire in November 2020 and re-opened in October 2021.

Sadly, the well-known dining establishment suffered a second, smaller fire in the kitchen last August, which led to it being closed since then.

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Now, following the departure of Ian and Barbara Gill, who ran the pub for 15 years, the Tiger Inn has new owners.

After being placed on the market early this year at £495,000, the pub was due to go to auction in August with a guide price of £275,000. But the owners of the nearby Goldsborough Hall bought the freehold just prior to the planned auction.

Hall owner Mark Oglesby told the Press: “The Tiger has always been a fantastic pub and it was a real tragedy when it closed last August after a kitchen fire. So when the current owner decided to sell, we wanted to try and save it.

“Thankfully the second fire only affected the kitchen area, so whilst that area was gutted with a lot of work to do, the rest of the pub just needs a really good clean, having been unused for a year.”

(Image: Pic supplied)

Mark further explained: “After the first, more major fire, the Tiger was fully refurbished so other than the kitchen it is in very good condition, [only needing] some new signage and a lick of paint.

“The plan is to try and keep The Tiger as The Tiger, it had a great reputation, so we would hope to re-open it with a similar offering as before.

“The only real change will be that we will be welcoming walkers and dog owners and hopefully creating a more secure beer garden area.”

Mark, a telecoms entrepreneur who bought the 40-bed stately home in 2005, with wife Clare, then transformed the 400-year-old Goldborough Hall, then a care home, into a 5-star hotel and wedding venue.

He is currently busy assessing what needs doing and getting quotes for repairs to the pub, which has 112 covers and a reported £900,000 annual turnover. Whilst he would have liked to re-open for Christmas, a Spring opening is “a more sensible plan.”

“It’s too early say [about food and menus] but we will hopefully be bringing back as much of what everyone loved about The Tiger menu and offerings.”

The Tiger Inn won’t be Mark’s first pub, until recently he rented the Bay Horse in nearby Goldsborough.

He said: “After 5 years investing a huge amount of love, time and money restoring the pub and working through Covid, it is a shame that we have failed to agree on reasonable renewal terms [with owners Stonegate]. It will close for a few days from Monday with a new operator re-opening the pub, which will retain the existing staff, hopefully by the end of next week.”