Schofield Sweeney assists in major wedding venue sale

Wharfedale Grange, a luxury wedding and events company, operates a venue between Leeds and Harrogate. Their offering includes a purpose-built wedding barn, farmhouse accommodation and floristry shop. They have recently acquired Solberge Hall in Northallerton for an undisclosed sum.

The Classic Lodges hotel group has owned the 24-bedroom Georgian country house hotel since 2015 when they purchased it for £1.8 million. The hotel is set in 9 acres of woodland and is situated near the North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales.

The deal included the purchase of all assets, including the hotel, restaurant, facilities and grounds. New ownership will directly transfer all 40 members of staff.

A multi-disciplinary team from Schofield Sweeney advised Wharfedale Grange on the purchase. This included Manjit Virdee and Sadia Ali from the real estate team, Jessica Fielden and Kate Fox from the corporate team and Craig Burman from the environmental and regulatory department.  

Claire Thomas, chief executive of Wharfedale Grange, said “We were delighted to continue our working relationship with Schofield Sweeney. The team gave invaluable legal advice and assisted in making the purchase a seamless process”. 

The company are renaming Solberge Hall as Wharfedale Country House following a refurbishment. 

Thomas added, “We are excited to announce the successful acquisition of Solberge Hall Hotel and our intention is to substantially enhance and upgrade the 200 year-old manor house hotel over the course of the next year and put it back on the map as Wharfedale Country House, an opulent hospitality destination specialising in luxury weddings and events. 

“Solberge Hall fits perfectly into our growing hospitality portfolio.” 

Image: Schofield Sweeney

Emma Cockings Emma is the staff writer for Yorkshire Legal News.