Inn used in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to be reopened

The Sign of the Angel Inn located in the Wiltshire village of Lacock – which was featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince  – is set to reopen after being empty since January. The 15th-century hotel/restaurant served as the Babberton Arms in the fictional town of Budleigh Babberton, where Harry and Professor Dumbledore went to visit Professor Horace Slughorn to convince him to return to Hogwarts as Potions master.

The future of the historic landmark has been secured now that brothers Tom and Jack Nicholas – who also run the nearby Whitley Golf Club – have taken over the lease. Tom Nicholas has expressed the brothers’ desire to see customers return to the inn:

We’re going through repairs and redecorating; it will be a complete refurbishment. It’s a unique building, in what is a lovely village, and it seemed like a good opportunity to create a place that’s serving great food and can be a place bringing people to Lacock.

They have also recruited a new executive chef and are looking to hire staff from the area. The restaurant will serve “seasonal British cuisine, using local produce” with plans to grow their own produce in the future. As of right now, the brothers are “working closely with the National Trust in terms of refurbishment,” but once things are up and running, they plan to leave the pub in the direct care of management and the head chef.

The Nicholas brothers are hoping to fully reopen the hotel and restaurant by this autumn.