Issue 2 | Page 33

Beautiful - Bowburn Hall (right) fully decked out for a sociallydistanced wedding. Impeccable tastes – and with beautiful rooms, The Impeccable Pig in Sedgefield (below). Jewel in the crown – Ramside Hall Hotel, pictured from the Prince Bishops golf course. And nothing sums up 2020, and business’s slow walk back to ‘normality’, more than Ramside Hall Hotel’s reopening. Starting with the golf club welcoming back fourballs in mid-May, the three new Treehouses hosting wedding ceremonies for couples in July, hotel rooms rehoused, the steady stream of visitors to the RibRoom, Pemberton and Fusion restaurants and splashdown in the spa again from the end of July. There is even now a hot-tub in the hotel’s farmhouse for visitors. A luxury hotel set in 350 acres of stunning grounds, Ramside Hall Hotel is County Durham's highest rated AA four-star hotel on TripAdvisor. There are two, 18-hole championship golf courses and awardwinning gardens too. Formerly the home of the Pemberton family, the former country house was transformed into a hotel by John’s grandfather, Dick Coleman, and his business partner Gordon McIntyre in 1963 and since then under Michael Adamson and now son “We were all determined that Ramside Estates had to survive this because it has always been an integral part of the region and reinvested in the local community." John, it has transformed into the largest privately-owned luxury hotel in County Durham and built its reputation on offering good value and a personal touch. The hotel even has its own Bentley to collect visitors and a gold-painted custom-made buggy to serve the lucky Treehouses residents. The hotel accommodation is of the highest standards, with a whole host of options for guests, including a new wing of 47 premier rooms and the acclaimed Celebration Suite with its free-standing copper bath. Ramside Estates has eight venues across the North-East. The Sticky Wicket, inside Durham County Cricket Club's Emirates Stadium complex, reopened on July 4. Two bars in Newcastle city, Colonel Porter’s Emporium on Dean Street and The WonderBar in The Gate, recommenced trading from the middle of August following their temporary Covid closures. The popular Lancastrian Suite is also expected to return to action shortly. John added: “Across Ramside Estates, every venue offers something different and we have worked hard to adapt to make sure our guests are comfortable. “It has been a challenging year for all of us so far but I think we have enjoyed the challenges here and adapting to the kind of changes none of us could have envisaged at the start of 2020.” wear.business – the voice of business for the Wear region | 33