FRESH life has been breathed into an historic North-East building, which opens next week as a boutique hotel.

Grade II-listed Houndgate Townhouse, in Darlington, which is thought to date back to the 1770s, opens as a hotel on August 1.

House building company Bussey & Armstrong owns the building but the development of the hotel is a new business venture for one of their youngest staff members, Natalie Cooper.

More than £1m has been invested in restoring and refurbishing the building, which now boasts eight en-suite bedrooms, a bar and restaurant, which will also be open to non-residents.

Miss Cooper, who previously worked for fashion label DKNY and for websites including Elle Online and Sugar Online, said: “People who have visited say Houndgate Townhouse feels like a big house, not a hotel, and that’s the kind of atmosphere we’re trying to create; a comfortable and friendly home from home.

“It’s been a real labour of love but I know the hard work is only just beginning. There’s nothing else like it in Darlington so we’re aiming to create a market among business guests and weekend visitors as well as local people for lunch, dinner and drinks.”

Houndgate Townhouse stands opposite Pease House, the former home of the ‘father of the railways’ Edward Pease, and in 1853 it became the first ever building in Darlington to have a Christmas tree following the tradition started by Prince Albert 12 years earlier.