Brownber Hall pivots to private rental and launches second property

Brownber Hall guesthouse in the Yorkshire Dales is to reopen as a luxury private rental and will launch a second property, Brownber House, on 1 August.

Owners Peter and Amanda Jaques-Walker have decided they are no longer able to operate the eight-bedroom business in the same way due to Covid-19 and social distancing restrictions. They are therefore preparing to reopen as a private rental and will launch Brownber House, a four-bedroom Victorian farmhouse on the estate, which is undergoing refurbishment.

A virtual concierge service is also being trialled alongside contactless check-in, which includes a virtual house tour video shared with guests with their pre-arrival information.

Amanda’s sister Georgina Rose Walker (formerly a Soho House architect) curated the interiors of both properties. While the bedrooms and footprint of Brownber Hall will stay fairly unchanged, a new guest-friendly kitchen has been installed during lockdown to adjoin the dining room, while the commercial kitchen is reserved to provide bespoke catering.

Brownber House will feature Vanessa Arbuthnott fabrics, Burlington bathrooms with Perrin and Rowe sanitaryware, Fritz Fryer lighting and vintage furniture.

Amanda said: “We think the best way for people to experience the best of Brownber, and to fully enjoy the space, is it to let them take over the whole place themselves, but with more special benefits than a typical self-catered package – a kind of private hire with additional F&B offerings.”

Peter added: “We want people to feel they can relax here and make themselves at home. Our aim is for our guests to feel as if they have come to stay at a friend’s house in the countryside.”

The house and hall are located next door to each other, with a private 50-metre pathway between the two. Groups can hire one or both properties, sleeping up to 23 guests across the two. Each offers spacious gardens with barbecues and firepits.

Brownber Hall was launched as a guesthouse in 2017 following an extensive restoration of the Grade II-listed property.

Hotel design: Brownber Hall >>