A WETHERSPOON pub which has been years in the making has been officially opened by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

The brand-new Buck Inn pub on Northallerton High Street was officially opened by the Richmondshire MP as restrictions were eased on Monday.

Mr Sunak, who mucked in to help staff serve drinks and breakfast, was joined by the Yorkshire Vet Peter Wright and Mayor of Northallerton.

It comes as The Northern Echo exclusively revealed what the new pub looked like in a first-look tour earlier this month.

Read more: First look inside Wetherspoon's latest pub The Buck Inn in Northallerton

At the time, Wetherspoon confirmed it would be opening the latest venue on May 17, in line with restrictions on indoor hospitality being relaxed.

 

The Northern Echo: Picture: JIM SCOTTPicture: JIM SCOTT

But during his visit, Mr Sunak heard how the former pub had been transformed following £2.6m worth of investment and had created 70 full and part-time jobs.

Ahead of the pub's opening at 9am, he said: “I very much welcome this significant investment in our High Street and the creation of these new job opportunities.

“The refurbishment has been carried out to a very high standard and it is good see the pub’s history recognised through the retention of its traditional name and the celebration of that history in the décor and wall displays.” 

The new pub, which is the first Wetherspoon to open in Northallerton, will be able to seat more than 500 people indoors and outdoors following the easing of all restrictions.

More than twelve months in the planning, the pub has been transformed to include a larger customer space while retaining some key features such as its name.

While on his visit to the pub on Monday, Mr Sunak met with a Northallerton man who used to live in The Buck Inn many years ago when a Mr Jim Timmons was landlord.

The Northern Echo:

After being served his full English, Mike Webb of Romanby said: “It is good to see the place open again. I have many happy memories of The Buck.” 

Chris Allen, pub manager at The Buck Inn, said: “The team and I were thrilled to have our special guests here today and to finally welcome customers into the pub. We are confident The Buck Inn will be a great addition to the Northallerton community.”