Member Article

Bespoke decorator revives suite dedicated to beloved North Yorkshire icon

S Nicholson and Sons, a bespoke painting and decorating service is renovating two private dining suites, one dedicated to North Yorkshire icon, James Herriot

The Black Bull in Moulton, near Richmond, sought expert help from Stephen Nicholson and his team to redecorate the suite, which was dedicated in 2014 to author Alf Wright, better known by his penname James Herriot.

The author celebrated his golden wedding anniversary at the Black Bull in 1992 and was known to be a regular visitor. The suite was named in his honour 19 years after his death to mark Yorkshire Day.

A veterinarian with almost fifty years’ experience, Wright was best known for his series of books which were adapted into the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small.

The Black Bull is part of the Provenance Inns group and the management team wanted to ensure the James Herriot Suite, together with the Champagne Suite, were given a fresh contemporary look whilst maintaining the aesthetic of a high-quality village inn.

S Nicholson and Sons is based in Bishop Auckland and specialises in the restoration of heritage and listed buildings, including Raby Castle, Rockliffe Hall and Hallgarth Manor.

Stephen Nicholson, managing director of S Nicholson and Sons, said: “The Black Bull is a North Yorkshire institution, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to decorate these beautiful suites.

“The management decided to modernise the suites by using a lighter colour pallet but they still have the quaint feel of a village inn due to the traditional, natural paints we use, including lime wash and linseed oil-based paints.

“We’ve worked closely with the management team to ensure they fit with their vision for the Black Bull and we’re certain that customers will enjoy the dining experience in these redecorated surroundings.”

Jill Loughborough, general manager at The Black Bull, said: “We’d like to thank Stephen and his team for their hard work renovating our James Herriot and Champagne suites.

“They hadn’t been decorated in several years and we wished to update them to allow us to further develop the market in wedding breakfasts.

“Both private dining suites have been transformed and we look forward to welcoming parties and conferences back to the Black Bull soon.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .