£1 million revamp revives historic Durham venue

A historic Durham hospitality venue is preparing to reopen after a £1 million transformation led by three North East entrepreneurs.

Imad Ali, Richard Nellis and Terry Haley have combined their experience across property, construction and hospitality to create The Court within the former Court Inn, which has been closed for six years.

Opening on August 28, the new bar and restaurant represents the latest investment in a building with around 150 years of history.

The trio say their ambition has been to create a long-term addition to Durham’s hospitality scene, despite challenging trading conditions and continued closures across the sector.

Their £1 million investment follows a separate £2.3 million transformation of the building’s upper floors into The Sanctuary Knocker, a luxury boutique aparthotel which opened earlier this year.

Together, the projects are creating a combined food, drink and accommodation destination in the city centre.

Terry, who has operated hospitality businesses in Durham city centre for the past seven years, said: “The Court Inn was part of Durham for generations and when it closed it left a gap. 

“These landmark venues are part of the fabric of the city and there has always been a feeling that this one should come back.

“But it had to come back in the right way. 

“We want The Court to be a destination, not somewhere people visit once because they're curious to see what has happened to the old pub.

“We’ve tried to create an elevated version of a traditional Durham establishment. 

“It can be somewhere for a special occasion and somewhere you come for a drink after work. 

“You can have dinner here, meet friends, bring the family or spend the whole evening here.

“The quality and service have to be exceptional, but it still has to feel welcoming and accessible. 

“That’s the balance we’ve worked incredibly hard to achieve.”

Imad, Richard and Terry are associated with a portfolio of North East hospitality venues including The Drunken Duck in Durham, Hibou Blanc and The Grey Owl in Newcastle and Black Rabbit in Chester-le-Street.

That experience has helped shape The Court’s food, drink and operational offering, as well as its design.

Newcastle-based Collective Design has worked on the interiors, blending influences from traditional Durham establishments and classic London venues.

Dark wood panelling, leather seating, marble, polished brass and period-inspired detailing have been incorporated to retain links with the building’s heritage while establishing a new identity.

The fit-out has been delivered by Richard’s Abbey Group, a specialist contractor with more than 30 years’ experience across leisure, retail and office projects.

Its previous work includes acting as main contractor to STACK Leisure on Newcastle United’s STACK fanzone.

Richard added: “We didn’t want to spend all this time and money just to create another pub in Durham. 

“From the beginning, the ambition has been to make somewhere people walk into and immediately see and feel the quality.

“We’ve obsessed over the detail. 

“The timber is real hardwood, the materials have been chosen for their quality and we’ve allowed the design to evolve as we’ve built it rather than simply following a standard fit-out plan.

“The same applies to the food. 

“This isn’t about being fine dining or making things unnecessarily complicated. 

“It’s about really good food, done properly, in surroundings that match that quality.”

The Court itself will feature a bar, restaurant and a range of seating areas designed to accommodate everything from casual drinks to dining.

Its menu will span elevated pub classics and bistro-style food through to à la carte dishes.

Around 20 jobs are expected to be created through the investment.

Meanwhile, The Sanctuary Knocker above comprises four individually designed suites – Marrakesh, Peking, Andorra and Pioneer – offering luxury accommodation and views across Durham’s historic cityscape.

Imad added: “We saw an opportunity with this building to create something much bigger than a refurbishment of a former pub or the development of a new place to stay.

“The Sanctuary Knocker and The Court complement each other. 

“Guests can stay in luxury accommodation upstairs and have this exceptional food, drink and hospitality offer immediately below them, while The Court is very much a destination in its own right for people who live, work in and visit Durham.

“Between the two investments, a building that had been largely unused for six years has been completely brought back to life. 

“We’ve invested significantly because we believe in Durham and in the potential to create something here that will stand the test of time.”

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