Hotel News Hotel Accessibility A La Carte Menu
Booking EnquiryEnquiry Form

www.visitlancashire.com

The History of Mytton Fold

Frank and Lilian Hargreaves were the third generation of the Hargreaves Family to own Mytton Fold Farm, but they made a dramatic departure from their agricultural roots on 9^th June, 1980, when their first guests arrived here for farmhouse bed and breakfast. 

28 years ago, Mytton Fold was a working dairy farm, the bed and breakfast accommodation consisting of two bedrooms in the farmhouse, with Mrs Hargreaves cooking an evening meal for those guests who wanted one.

The Hargreaves’ commitment to providing a warm family welcome and traditional Lancashire hospitality ensured that the reputation of the enterprise spread. The accommodation was soon frequently fully booked.  During 1980, problems with the livestock meant that many of their animals had to be slaughtered, the family wondered how the farm could recover after such a devastating event.

Frank and Lillian made a huge decision to expand the bed and breakfast side of their business.

One of the old barns was therefore converted to provide an additional four en-suite bedrooms, with a thirty cover restaurant and a small bar area. Part way through building a Swallows nest was discovered in the rafters, and the work was halted until the eggs had hatched and all the young birds had flown the nest. It was this chance incident that lead to the room being known as the “Swallow” room, with the other three rooms being named after other frequent visitors at Mytton Fold - Robin, Owl and Thrush.

That original bar now forms half of the golf club’s “nineteenth hole”, and the dining room is now a part of the Ribble Restaurant.

The excellent reputation that Mytton Fold had achieved continued to spread, and soon the six bedrooms now operating were not enough to cope with demand, and the restaurant was becoming very popular both locally and further afield.

In 1984, another eight bedrooms were added, along with a residents lounge, which because of the rapidly expanding restaurant soon became another dining room.

Two years later, in 1986, the restaurant was so popular that the bar area was now too small, and a large extension, replete with chandelier, grandfather clock and a 150 year old Lancashire range as its centrepiece, was built onto what is now the front of the hotel. The range is lit every day in the winter, and at Christmas hot mince pies are kept warm in the oven at the side and served to customers after dinner. Further bedrooms were also added, bringing the total to 27. 

In 1990, the large banqueting suite was opened, and quickly became one of the area’s premier venues for wedding receptions, a position which was compounded in 1995 when it became one of the first hotels in the North of England to be licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.

 The banqueting suite consists of three rooms; the main room the Abbey room, is named after Whalley Abbey, situated in the village of Whalley, just down the road from the hotel.

Licenced for Civil Ceremonies, the Raikeside room, is set next to the Abbey Room and overlooks the formal gardens and gazebo. This room gets its name from an old footpath, or in Old English “Raike”, which runs along the side of the building. The third room in the suite is called the Cronkshaw room, this name derives from the local beauty spot Cronkshaw Chair, situated in the hills above the hotel.

In the Summer of 1994, the surrounding hundred acres of farmland were converted into an 18 hole golf course, and more building work was the order of the day for the hotel. The main dining room was doubled in size and became the Ribble Restaurant, this room is now used as the main dining room for the hotel, licenced for Civil Ceremonies it is also used extensively for wedding receptions and other functions throughout the year.

 An additional air conditioned Family suite was created, with a lounge area, large Kingsize bed, family bathroom and additional twin bedroom connected through an adjoining door.

With 28 bedrooms, the Hargreaves family have an ongoing development and refurbishment programme, in 2007, 8 of the bedrooms were extensively refurbished with new larger bathrooms and power showers included as standard. 

The Abbey Suite also had a facelift, with Air conditioning, new furnishings, and renewed dancefloor and bar area. 

An additional Civil Licence was granted for the Garden Gazebo, which means that Mytton Fold can now offer couples the choice of three venues to hold their ceremony;

within the hotel gardens with the backdrop of the stunning Ribble Valley, or a ceremony in the elegance of the Raikeside room, or the romance of the traditional beamed Ribble room.

 Mytton Fold Hotel & Golf Complex continues to be family run, and Lillian, assisted by her son David, and daughters Barbara and Carole can be found in the hotel every day welcoming all who visit.

Contact Details