Historic hotel eyes restaurant expansion

A country house hotel – rumoured to be the place where King Edward VIII was introduced to Wallis Simpson and started a romance that changed the course of British history – is seeking permission to extend its main restaurant.Set in 45 acres of parkland near Harrogate, the grade II-listed Nidd Hall was built in the 1820s for Benjamin Rawson, a wealthy Bradford wool merchant, on the site of an Elizabethan manor house.The mansion became a hotel in the 1980s and was acquired by Warner Leisure in the late 90s and subsequently extended.Today, the hotel offers 182 rooms, a swimming pool and spa, a cabaret venue, and two eateries: The Terrace, a fine-dining establishment in the main hall, and main restaurant The Rawson, located within a 1990s extension.The proposed development, drawn up by PWP Architects, is for a 1,215 sq ft extension to The Rawson and has been designed to relate closely to the existing building.According to heritage documents prepared by Turley, the proposal will have no impact upon the special architectural and historic interest of Nidd Hall as it is located some distance from the main building, at a lower level and is screened by an area of trees.Exclusively for adults, Warner Leisure operates 13 properties across the UK, including six grade I or II-listed hotels in countryside locations.