The Grade II listed pub at Low Bridge reopened on 27 August after a £250,000 refit: new kitchen, riverside seating for 100, quiz night every Thursday at 7pm.

The Mother Shipton Inn at Low Bridge, Knaresborough, reopened on Thursday 27 August after a refurbishment costing £250,000.

The money was a combined investment by the incoming licensee and Admiral Taverns, the pub company that owns the building. Matt Chapman, who is local to the area, is running it. The figure and the date are set out in a statement issued by Admiral Taverns and published by the British Guild of Beer Writers.

What the £250,000 paid for

According to that statement, the work covered:

  • upgraded fixtures and fittings inside, described as modernising the pub while keeping its traditional character
  • a rebuilt kitchen, to give better facilities for the food menu
  • new external lighting and signage
  • outside seating for up to 100 people

The pub stands beside Low Bridge on the River Nidd, with what Admiral Taverns calls “direct views of the famous Mother Shipton’s Cave”. Its description of the building lists four trading areas: a dining room seating about 20, a main bar with an open fireplace, two snugs, and a beer garden overlooking the river (Admiral Taverns).

What is on the menu and in the diary

The statement names these as the regular fixtures:

  • a quiz night every Thursday from 7pm
  • “Thirsty Fridays”, where a third large glass of wine is free when two are bought
  • Guinness, Birra Moretti and a wine list on the bar
  • fish and chips, steak and ale pie and lasagne, made with locally sourced ingredients

Chapman said in the statement that he wants a dog and family friendly pub, and that money was raised for the Knaresborough food bank on the opening night.

The building is 17th century and listed

This is not a new pub in an old shell. The Mother Shipton Inn is Grade II listed and has been since 15 May 1968, under National Heritage List entry 1190809.

The official listing describes it as an inn, “C17 with C19 alterations”, built of stone with a stone slate roof. It runs to a two-storey, two-bay main range, with a two-storey single-bay addition and a further two-bay block of one storey with attics. That last block, the listing notes, was “probably originally a stable with hay loft over”.

The listing also explains why the pub is where it is. The main range is associated with the cave and the dropping well further west along the bank, and the building “functioned as a gate house to the Long Walk for some time”.

Listing does not stop a building being altered. It means consent is needed for work that affects its special interest, inside as well as out.

Key dates for the Mother Shipton Inn, Knaresborough Four key dates. Built in the 17th century and used for a time as a gate house to the Long Walk. Listed Grade II on 15 May 1968. Reopened in November 2017 after an investment of over 200,000 pounds. Reopened again on 27 August 2026 after a 250,000 pound refurbishment. Sources: Historic England National Heritage List entry 1190809 and Admiral Taverns. Two six-figure refits in nine years Key dates on the public record for the Mother Shipton Inn, Low Bridge, Knaresborough 17th century Built; used for a time as a gate house to the Long Walk 15 May 1968 Listed Grade II, list entry 1190809 Nov 2017 Reopens after an investment of over £200,000 27 Aug 2026 Reopens after a £250,000 refurbishment Sources: Historic England National Heritage List entry 1190809; Admiral Taverns news releases, November 2017 and August 2026. Not to scale. Graphic by Harrogate Live
The 2017 refit was also an Admiral Taverns investment, under different licensees.

It is the second six-figure refit in nine years

Admiral Taverns put “over £200,000” into the same pub in 2017, when it reopened under licensees Sam Small and Tony Robb. That work reopened the function room, built a new food menu and added a gin bar (Admiral Taverns, 22 November 2017).

Taken together, the two projects put more than £450,000 into one listed riverside pub inside a decade.

Its food hygiene rating

The Mother Shipton Inn holds a food hygiene rating of 5, the top score, from an inspection on 8 April 2026. That is the rating recorded on the Food Standards Agency register for “Mother Shiptons Inn, Low Bridge, HG5 8HZ” (FSA food hygiene ratings).

The rating predates the new kitchen and the change of licensee, so it reflects the pub as it was inspected in April, not as it reopened in August.

What we could not confirm

We could not establish how long the pub was closed before 27 August, because there is no first-party statement giving a closing date.

Admiral Taverns’ own website was also still advertising the Mother Shipton Inn as available on a five year tenancy when we checked it on 3 September, with an ingoing investment of £14,750. Pub company listings are often left up after an agreement is signed. We are not treating that page as evidence about the current arrangement, and we have not repeated any claim about who owns the business.

What it means for you

If you are going, check the opening hours first. Neither the statement nor Admiral Taverns’ page gives them, and a pub that has just reopened is the most likely place for advertised hours to change.

The quiz is Thursdays at 7pm and is the one dated fixture in the announcement. The wine offer is Fridays.

Getting there. The listing places the pub at the south end of Low Bridge, which is itself Grade II listed and was rebuilt in 1779 with two arches (list entry 1315633). Admiral Taverns’ description of the pub does not mention a car park, so plan for on-street parking or the walk down from the town centre.

If you want to check a food hygiene rating yourself, the FSA register is free and covers every food business in North Yorkshire. A business can ask for a re-inspection and has a right of reply, both of which are shown on the register.

More places to eat and drink are listed in our Knaresborough business directory, and there are more things to do across the district in our what’s on guide.

Sources