BY ALLISON LEE
What happens when a young local lad with common sense but no hospitality experience takes on a place that he knows has the potential to be something special? That was the question Jake Dinsdale asked himself when, at the tender age of 26, he took on Simonstone Hall, a traditional country-style hotel situated in the pretty village of Simonstone, just a few miles from the market town of Hawes in North Yorkshire – a home to a variety of shops, museums and restaurants.
Jake admits that he relied on “local sense, some wit, and a lot of enthusiasm”, which, he says, “went a long way to repairing the damage that many years of different ‘professional general managers’ had caused.” Jake combined all of this with a contemporary renovation and restyling of the hotel and, as a local lad with a background in design, managed to make things move slowly and steadily, ensuring gradual and sustainable progress that brought visitors back to the hotel.
Jake had worked at Simonstone Hall as a teenager during his school and university holidays while training to become an architect, so he was familiar with both the hotel and the area. After graduating, Jake moved to Ghana to set up an architecture business in hotel and residential development. He moved back to the UK during the Ebola epidemic and planned to work in London as a consultant and designer, alongside real estate investment. It was while he was house-hunting in London that he noticed Simonstone Hall had come onto the market, and Jake jumped at the chance to buy it. Jake told me that he “could never understand why a place so special was so devoid of any warmth, fun, or real love. It was more like a boring old care home; hushed, plain, empty.”
Armed with enthusiasm and abundant ideas, Jake set about changing the hotel into what it is today – a place to stay that has been praised far and wide. The media company Condé Nast praised the injection of real character and genuine country house warmth in the place, The Times and Sunday Times commended Simonstone Hall as one of the ‘best places to stay in the UK’, and The Telegraph bestowed an amazing top score for their stay.
Simonstone Hall is a small independent hotel in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Jake describes the hotel as being “guided by what’s great, fun and tasty within the season.” He says it has “a sense and spirit of the English Country House,” and considers the place to be “built for guests to come and be hosted in a remarkable area. It is the perfect place in which to experience the Yorkshire spirit.”
Jake is passionate about his work and tells me it has been an exciting journey to date, with each year delivering different accolades, triumphs and new challenges – not only as a rural and historic building but also with changing trends. “The Beast from the East, varying shoot seasons, costs, Covid, business rates, staffing shortages, industry pressure, etc. have all proved challenging,” he says. However, Jake goes on to explain that as a “resilient young Yorkshireman, at 26, the challenge never seemed as daunting or overwhelming as it probably should have, and my training in architecture and design not only helped in reconfiguring the hotel and evolving the cosy country interiors, but in the ‘problem-solving’ and solution-focused ethos.”
The hotel has gone from strength to strength over the years, and Jake knows that he is lucky to have the support of a huge number of regular and repeat visitors, along with the support of locals. Jake acknowledges that the views surrounding the hotel also help enormously, drawing guests from far and wide. “Having the best views in all of the UK certainly helps to draw in the guests, but combined with superb food, great rooms and quality, informal-yet-professional hospitality, we love doing what we do,” he says.
2026 sees Jake’s tenth anniversary of ownership of Simonstone Hall, and he will be hosting a number of international visitors who will be joining him to celebrate the premiere of the new Wuthering Heights adaptation, directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, who stayed at Simonstone Hall during filming and since. Jake informs me that “They, like many guests, enjoyed the superb views, cosy bar atmosphere, great afternoon tea, fire pit nights and some Scandi wood-fired hot tub action too.”
Jake explained that he is looking to evolve what he offers after running the hotel for ten years and plans on expanding to provide local and community offerings too. This will be done through the introduction of a new café and casual restaurant space, along with more great events, collaborations and opportunities for guests and visitors to enjoy. Beyond this, he informs me that he is already working on new paths to the piggery and kitchen gardens, an outdoor dining area and a small cinema barn.
I asked Jake to tell me a little more about the piggery. As the owner of three pot-bellied pigs, I was intrigued as to how these intelligent animals fitted in with the theme of a country hotel. Jake told me that Pat Butcher and Piggy Mitchell are pets that live in the piggery in the hotel’s garden, following on from previous ‘fridge fillers’. They are friendly little Kunekune pigs who often escape and, says Jake, are “excellent at harassing the fat, resident hens”. Jake also keeps a selection of free-range peacocks, including Perry, who is now stuffed and hanging in the hallway!
Jake’s passion, energy and excitement are clear to see and, combined with ten years of experience, he now has the resilience, support and foresight to ensure the next ten years continue to be as exciting and successful as the first – and I, for one, wish him all the very best.
Allison Lee is a smallholder from North Yorkshire who has written for the Yorkshire Times and other publications. Her website can be accessed here.