Work starts on reviving historic hotel

Scaffolding went up last week at the Talbot Hotel in Malton before the first phase of the scheme got under way yesterday with repairs to the facade on the Grade II listed building.

The Fitzwilliam Estate, which has owned the hotel for more than 200 years, hopes the re-development will create up to 25 jobs.

The scheme, which is expected to cost more than £3.5m, is also aimed at bringing in extra trade to the town by attracting more tourists.

The renovations to the building’s facade are being carried out by a Keighley-based firm, R N Wooler, which has worked on projects for the National Trust across the North of England.

The Talbot closed in the autumn last year after English Rose Hotels ended its 21-year lease, blaming escalating running costs and low occupancy rates.

The Fitzwilliam Estate is aiming the hotel at the mid-range market with 26 en suite rooms costing between £85 and £230 a night. It is hoped that the hotel will re-open in March next year.