The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has played a crucial role in the historic restoration of the Mitre, one of Knaresborough’s oldest and most famous pubs.
The brick company , based at Alne, near Easingwold, supplied 4,000 high-quality handmade bricks to help restore the Mitre to its former glory.
The Mitre has reopened after a substantial investment by Knaresborough-born philanthropist and furniture magnate George Moore.
Mr Moore, who was born in the Mitre in 1928 and whose parents were landlords of the property, bought the Mitre, next to Knaresborough railway station, in 2003.
David Armitage, the chairman of York Handmade, commented: “We were delighted to be able to help in the restoration of such an important Knaresborough landmark. We provided 4,000, 73mm bricks, which were a special blend of our Thirkleby and Lindum ranges. They have been used primarily at the back of the building and on a new wall by the side. We are very pleased with the result”
John Waterhouse, the West Yorkshire-based contractor who masterminded the restoration of the Mitre, commented:
“The York Handmade Brick Company came to me highly recommended and they did not disappoint. Their superb bricks merged seamlessly with those already in place and they are the perfect match.”
The Mitre has been acquired on a long lease by Knaresborough couple Ian Fozard and Lesley Bers, who are long-standing town residents and who also founded Blind Jack’s pub in the Market Square in 1992.
George Moore, whose father pulled his last pint at the Mitre in 1945, said: “I was so pleased to be able to be able to buy the Mitre in 2003. The building holds many treasured memories for me. “Having realised that the building needed a comprehensive refurbishment, I’m delighted that it has a new lease of life and can once again offer high quality hospitality to the people of Knaresborough.