Brewer and hotelier Thwaites has opened Lister Farmhouse in Malham, adding 13 individually styled bedrooms to the village and giving business travellers heading into the Yorkshire Dales a new place to stay after a day of meetings or a weekend on the fells.
The new rooms occupy part of one of Malham’s 19th-century coaching inns and sit alongside The Lister Arms and Lister Barn, which together make up Thwaites’ Lister collection in the village. The three properties now offer a choice between a traditional country inn, a barn suited to larger groups and guests with dogs, and the newly renovated farmhouse rooms, which include family rooms for anyone bolting a few days of leave onto a work trip.
Rates at Lister Farmhouse start at £185 per night for bed and breakfast in low season, rising to £230 in high season.
A Lister Farmhouse Malham stay with a Windermere pedigree
The interiors were led by Jane Goff of Goff Associates, the designer behind Langdale Chase on Lake Windermere, another Thwaites property. Each of the 13 bedrooms has been designed separately to reflect the age of the building and the limestone scenery around it, with rich textures, bespoke furnishings and premium finishes throughout.
One of the more practical decisions in the restoration was the installation of air-conditioning, still unusual in rural inns of this age and a welcome addition for anyone trying to sleep in a stone building during a warm Dales summer.
Rick Bailey, executive chairman of Thwaites, said: “With a building of this age and significance, the design process was all about careful stewardship, a sensitive renovation that honours the past rather than overwrites it. By introducing rich textures, bespoke furnishings and premium finishes, we’ve been able to deliver a sense of understated elegance.
“We were also keen to incorporate notes of the neighbouring landscape; Lister Farmhouse so luckily stands in one of Yorkshire’s most stunning vistas. This is a thoughtful reimagining, and we’ve allowed place, heritage, and luxury to take centre-stage.”
He added: “With nearly 220 years of hospitality behind us, projects like this one really show what we’re all about. We’re big on craftsmanship, quality, innovation and warm hospitality, and the Lister Farmhouse is only one part of our continued investment across Thwaites. One renovation at a time, we’re highlighting the country’s irreplaceable hospitality and hotel offering. We’re really excited about this opening, and we hope guests love it as much as we do.”
Dining and walking on the doorstep
Thwaites has also appointed a new executive head chef to run the kitchens at The Lister Arms and The Buck, the village pub. The Lister Arms serves seasonal versions of classic dishes alongside daily-changing chalkboard specials, which suits a client dinner or a quiet meal after a long drive. The Buck is the more casual option, offering home-cooked pub food and Thwaites ales for family lunches, walkers and post-hike drinks.
Malham is one of the most visited villages in the national park, and the well-known walking routes to Janet’s Foss, Gordale Scar, Malham Tarn and Malham Cove all start within a short stroll of the front door. For travellers who want to build some recovery time into a northern itinerary, that makes the village a stronger proposition than most, and it fits the broader appetite for underrated UK staycation spots that combine walking with somewhere comfortable to sleep.
Mick Horan, director of inns at Thwaites, said: “This exciting project has diversified and bolstered the ways visitors and locals alike can enjoy the charming village of Malham.
“It means that in the village you can now stay at our original inn, our spacious barn, or our brand-new farmhouse bedrooms. Malham welcomes such a wide range of visitors, so it was important to us to create versatility in our offering, with something for everyone.”
What it means for business travellers
For companies with clients or sites across North Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Craven district, the practical value is choice. Malham has never been short of charm, but it has been short of rooms, and the new farmhouse adds capacity in a village where accommodation fills quickly in peak walking season. The mix of inn, barn and farmhouse also means a small team, an offsite group or a family tagging along can all be housed in the same place.
The opening continues a run of investment in northern country hotels, with Grantley Hall near Ripon and Matfen Hall in Northumberland both recently completing major refurbishments. Lister Farmhouse operates at a smaller scale, but for a working stay that ends with a walk up Malham Cove rather than a hotel gym, it is a serious option.
