The reason for our visit was to present him with one of our Certificates of Excellence for all the exciting and dedicated work which had been done in transforming the premises since 2004.
It was a magical experience. Around every corner there was something to admire. The atmosphere was congenial and we were all amazed at the success of the project.
The Stables Restaurant is a credit to the town. It is a family run enterprise and all of the Morley family work there. John Morley was delighted with the certificate and has added it to the collection of pieces which decorate the barn to perfection. It now hangs by the main entrance to the restaurant.
After the presentation we enjoyed a light lunch and we all agreed the food was very tasty. We also had a chance to look around some of the hotel rooms – these are assembled around a courtyard and each furnished individually with items that have been sourced up and down the country. All in all, the Stables Restaurant was a fascinating place to visit.
Elizabeth Cheyne
Whitby is not a museum but a place where people live,work and play.It cannot exist in a time warp and needs to cater for the needs of the existing population so it is inevitable that people will build new buildings and try to make existing buildings fit their needs. This could be done in such away that it changed the character of the town or it might even enhance it.The Society decided to reward buildings which were modernised in a way that improved their area rather than harmed it.
Ammonite House, Church Street. This was a Primitive Methodist Church, which had been built at the beginning of the 20th century. It had been left empty for many years after the amalgamation of the Methodist churches.The first adaptation, as a private residence had been ingenious but rather eccentric. Alessi's Italian Restaurant redesigned it to make a very good use of the space and keep the character of the place.,
Henrietta Cottages, Henrietta Street. Various landslips had destroyed a large part of Henrietta Street and left the seaward end very unstable. Chris Cooke decided to build some cottages at the dangerous end which needed very deep and costly foundations. He wanted the new buildings to have all the best modern amenities but to keep the character of the place. In these objectives he was completely successful and well deserved the award of the certificate.
Wellington House,Station Square.The commercial buildings of the 19th century had made good use of tiles as part of shop buildings. As changes of use came about, owners often just painted over these features. This had been the case here and a very attractive set of tiles giving the various commercial operations of the building had been covered over. The present day owners had appreciated this feature and uncovered it for everyone to see again. As a matter of interest one of the old uses, the sale of houses, was a present use of the premises.
Stables Restaurant at Crossbutts Farm .This farmer lost a fine herd of cattle in the mad cow outbreak and decided to change his life style by changing his farm into a restaurant. He made a very fine job of the change of use and now Whitby has another excellent and beautiful restaurant
Maple House, Silver Street. Maples House was a very fine Georgian House which had lost its former glory for many years until its present owner brought it back to its original state
New Certificate of Excellence- Bagshaws on Flowergate. This formerly shabby beautiful Georgian building has been revitalised as a welcoming cafe. Barry Atkinson presented a framed Certificate of Excellence on behalf of the Civic Society to Colin and David. Everyone can now enjoy sampling their delicious cakes with tea or coffee
Various other buildings are under consideration at the moment. Suggestions from members averyonere always welcome
