THE owners of a newly-refurbished pub in the North York Moors have reached back into history for its new name - the Stapylton Arms.

The inn, in the village of Wass, was formerly called the Wombwell Arms, until it was taken over in the summer by new proprietors Robert and Gillian Thompson.

Gillian said: "We wanted a new name for the pub so that we could establish it as our own and build on our reputation. We looked into the inn's history and found out that it had been known as the Stapylton Arms, which we really liked.

"We're pleased to be able to preserve the name and therefore a little bit of local history."

The pub was constructed about 1620 as a granary and became an ale house in 1645. In 1739 the inn became known as the Stapylton Arms following the purchase of the entire village by the Stapylton family of Myton-on-Swale. The pub retained this name until 1896 when the village was purchased by Sir George Wombwell, of nearby Newburgh Priory.

While the village and pub were sold off from the Wombwell estate in 1924, the pub's name did not change until now.

The newly-refurbished inn retains its stone-flagged floors, beamed ceiling and log fire.

Robert and Gillian, who previously ran the White Swan in Ampleforth for more than 13 years, are now refurbishing three double en-suite rooms to create bed and breakfast accommodation.

The Stapylton Arms is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.