A stylish new life for Ripon's Old Deanery

When The Old Deanery in Ripon was first built in 1625, it was designed to try and tempt a high-profile Dean to the then out-of-fortune Ripon Cathedral.

There had been scandal within the walls of this now treasured, magnificent building and it needed a little help. This gorgeous old rambling property was, again, in need of new residents – and some love and care – last year.

Fortunately, Chris and Rebecca Hill – the pros behind the uber cool Galtres Lodge hotel and Forest restaurant in York - couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

‘We’re not quite three years in with Galtres yet but Chris was starting to get itchy feet last year. He has always wanted an empire and is always looking out for the next thing. He loves old buildings. He always says that they speak to him - because he’s nuts,’ laughs Rebecca. ‘Chris had had properties in Ripon before and knew it well – in fact he was a postman here straight out of university and he delivered to the area that is now Grantley Hall.

The place is grand but welcoming and comfortable thanks the Rebecca and Chris touch (Image: Copyrighted to Kevin Gibson Photography Ltd)‘He spotted The Old Deanery was for sale and, because of the pandemic, it wasn’t the right time. But then that changed and we knew it would be the perfect wedding and events venue.’

Chris's background is in property development and as a specialist in historic buildings (Image: Kevin Gibson)And they were right – despite only opening bookings in January this year– after officially taking the building on in October last year – they have already hosted several weddings and other celebrations at The Old Deanery.

Chris and Rebecca Hill have breathed new life into The Old Deanery, Ripon (Image: Copyrighted to Kevin Gibson Photography Ltd)The powerhouse pair are hugely experienced – Chris in property development and as a specialist in historic buildings - and Rebecca has worked as a manager and consultant for just about every top Yorkshire hotel you could think of – Rudding Park, Devonshire Hotel Group, Feversham Arms and The Talbot in Malton. They have used that knowledge, creativity and their ability to spot a diamond in the rough to create a special wedding and events venue within The Old Deanery.

A stack of boxes was handcrafted to look like old properties (Image: Copyrighted to Kevin Gibson Photography Ltd)

They have brought their signature quirky, cool approach to the old building, with swoon-worthy interiors designed to get people talking. Chris spends time with friend, Andy Monkman, scouring salvage yards and antiques fairs looking for those one-off items and special pieces to add interesting touches to each of the rooms. Andy has also handcrafted items – including a stack of boxes made to look like old properties and Chris has done much of the renovation work himself – including the painstaking job of painting all of the windows to be more in keeping with the building’s history. Hotel guru David McDonald, formerly of The Talbot in Malton, is now manager for both Galtres and The Old Deanery and chef, Jono Harkleroad cooks up fabulous food for both sites.

'It takes time and it will be an ongoing thing for us,’ says Rebecca. ‘We’ve done a lot of big work on the building to get it open and find special items.

The couple have restored the grand building and given it friendly touches throughout (Image: Copyrighted to Kevin Gibson Photography Ltd)‘You can’t buy these one-of-a-kind pieces in bulk so we will take our time replacing furniture in the bedrooms with pieces we find along the way. We’re lucky to have people like Andy, David and Jono.

One of the airy bedrooms with handsome proportions (Image: Copyrighted to Kevin Gibson Photography Ltd)

‘We have a very different Old Deanery now - each Dean put their own stamp on the building so there are different dates everywhere. And we have created a different place now, too. We’d always had this dream of taking on old buildings and making them into brilliant businesses but never really thought it would happen. We want to create something to be proud of. I hope we have done that. It’s been so good to see people’s reactions to them.

‘We love having these connections with buildings,’ says Rebecca. ‘We were walking around Ripon not so long ago and Chris saw another empty, unloved building. He got chatting about it and it turned out it was for sale. His eyes lit up immediately – so I dragged him away quickly.’