The Black Swan is located right in the heart of the popular North Yorkshire market town of Helmsley. Expect great service, a relaxed atmosphere and lots of sublime food. With it's own tea room, afternoon tea is a popular choice, as well as the 3 AA rosette evening dining.
- 4 star luxury hotel in the heart of the bustling North Yorkshire market town of Helmsley
- 3 AA rosette Gallery restaurant
- Separate stylish bar and tea room
- Elegant character bedrooms
- Ideal for exploring the North Yorkshire Moors or Robin Hood's Bay
Special Offers
The following offers are showing instant availability.
SMTWTFS
Available: Now
Luxury Sparkling Escape - Classic Room
Exclusive to Off Peak Luxury
Stay in a Classic room and receive:
- A glass of chilled Prosecco in the bar on arrival (value £7.50 pp)
- Dinner for two each evening in the restaurant each evening (£30 pp allowance towards either menu)
- Full English breakfast for two daily
- Complimentary noon late check out (usually 11 am)
1 night stay
Package Price: £94.50 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £189 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
2 night stay
Package Price: £186.50 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £373 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
3 night stay
Package Price: £275 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £550 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
SMTWTFS
Available: Now
Luxury Sparkling Escape - Feature OR Superior Room
Exclusive to Off Peak Luxury
Stay in a Feature or Superior room and receive:
- A glass of chilled Prosecco in the bar on arrival
- Dinner for two each evening in the restaurant each evening (£30 pp allowance towards either menu)
- Full English breakfast for two daily
- Complimentary noon late check out (usually 11 am)
1 night stay
Package Price: £112 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £224 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
2 night stay
Package Price: £219 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £438 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
3 night stay
Package Price: £326 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £652 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
SMTWTFS
Available: Now
Luxury Sparkling Escape - Junior Suite
Exclusive to Off Peak Luxury
Stay in a Junior Suite and receive:
- A glass of chilled Prosecco in the bar on arrival (value £7.50 pp)
- Dinner for two each evening in the restaurant each evening (£30 pp allowance towards either menu)
- Full English breakfast for two daily
- Complimentary noon late check out (usually 11 am)
1 night stay
Package Price: £124.50 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £249 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
2 night stay
Package Price: £243 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £486 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
3 night stay
Package Price: £357.50 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £715 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
SMTWTFS
Available: Now
Luxury Sparkling Escape - Classic Twin Room
Exclusive to Off Peak Luxury
Stay in a Classic Twin and Double room and receive:
- A glass of chilled Prosecco in the bar on arrival (value £7.50 pp)
- Dinner for two each evening in the restaurant each evening (£30 pp allowance towards either menu)
- Full English breakfast for two daily
- Complimentary noon late check out (usually 11 am)
1 night stay
Package Price: £94.50 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £189 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
2 night stay
Package Price: £186.50 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £373 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
3 night stay
Package Price: £275 per person per stay (based on two sharing) £550 per room
- Instant Availability
- Friday & Saturday night premiums will apply
All of the above prices include all taxes / service fees.
* Offers showing provisional availability are subject to confirmation with the hotel and availability is not guaranteed. No funds will be taken from your card until the booking is confirmed, which will usually be within a few hours.
Offers showing instant availability are live and will be confirmed immediately.
Facilities at The Black Swan
The hotel comprises three houses; the black and white Tudor house on the left of the terrace, the Georgian house in the middle, and the Elizabethan building on the right, which stands on the site where an inn is believed to have been situated for many centuries.
The Black Swan was in fact always destined to become Helmsley's principal coaching inn when in 1838 it was decided to run a stage coach route linking Leeds and York with Helmsley. Known as The Helmsley Highflyer, the coach called three times a week at the Black Swan Hotel.
The addition of the houses has led to the preservation of the historically important areas of the building and has also done much to enhance the overall character of the hotel.
Nestled snuggly behind the charming frontage of the lies the hotels beautiful walled gardens. These tranquil gardens are the ideal place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to relax and enjoy the finer things in life. The gardens retain a country cottage feel to them and are well maintained. Surprisingly The Black Swan is the only place in Helmsley to offer an outdoor dining experience making it a very sought after location.
Home truths
- Parking directly outside the front door of the hotel is quite limited. There is however a much larger car park situation at the rear of the hotel.
Good to know
- Hotel check-in time: 3:00 PM
- Hotel check-out time: 11:00 AM
Parking Facilities
The hotel has two car parks, a large car park at the back of the hotel and a smalled one at the front. To access the back car park drive up the lane to the right of the hotel and you will find the parking at the rear of the building. The front car park requires a permit which should be collected from reception on arrival.
Disabled Access
The public areas within the hotel are wheelchair accessable. Please be aware that due to the age and layout of the hotel there is no lift. All bedrooms are located up at least one flight of stairs from reception, however access to several rooms in the garden wing is available avoiding stairs via the back car park.Unfortunately there are no adapted bedrooms.
History of the hotel
Visit the Black Swan Hotel in Helmsley, North Yorkshire and you really will feel as if you're part of a long history. The hotel comprises three houses; the black and white Tudor house on the left of the terrace, the Georgian house in the middle, and the Elizabethan building on the right, which stands on the site where an inn is believed to have been situated for many centuries.
The Black Swan Hotel in Yorkshire was in fact always destined to become Helmsley's principal coaching inn when in 1838 it was decided to run a stage coach route linking Leeds and York with Helmsley. Known as The Helmsley Highflyer, the coach called three times a week at the Black Swan Hotel.
The addition of the houses has led to the preservation of the historically important areas of the building and has also done much to enhance the overall character of the Black Swan Hotel.
Child Policy
A charge of £25 per child applies when your children are sharing a Superior Bedroom with you. This charge includes the extra bed and bedding, full English breakfast, and applies to children up to the age of 16 years old. Children aged up to 4 years are welcome on a complimentary basis when sleeping in a cot bed. Children aged 16 years and over are classified as adults.
Please note that if you do opt to book an interconnecting room for your children, this will be charged at the full adult rate.
Children are welcome in the restautant.
Dogs Policy
Dogs are charged at £10 per dog, per stay. Dogs are not permitted in the restaurant or tearoom.
Other Information
Complimentary Wi-Fi available in the Hotel
The Rooms at The Black Swan
Classic room
Classic rooms are located in the garden wing of the hotel, and several of these rooms have partial garden views. These rooms are ideal for those of you seeking peace and quiet and a good nights sleep, along with luxury and comfort.
All of these rooms are all individually decorated but have the same underlying design features – inspiration drawn from the North York Moors with muted colours reflect the various seasons and include moss, heather and pebble grey colours.
Several of these Classic rooms can also be made into twin rooms on request. Please note that due to the location of these rooms, there are quite a few stairs to access these bedrooms and therefore for guests with walking difficulties these rooms aren't recommended. These rooms are however convenient for the car park at the back of the hotel.
The Black Swan - The Classic Hotel Room room
Classic room
Classic rooms are located in the garden wing of the hotel, and several of these rooms have partial garden views. These rooms are ideal for those of you seeking peace and quiet and a good nights sleep, along with luxury and comfort.
All of these rooms are all individually decorated but have the same underlying design features – inspiration drawn from the North York Moors with muted colours reflect the various seasons and include moss, heather and pebble grey colours.
Several of these Classic rooms can also be made into twin rooms on request. Please note that due to the location of these rooms, there are quite a few stairs to access these bedrooms and therefore for guests with walking difficulties these rooms aren't recommended. These rooms are however convenient for the car park at the back of the hotel.
Feature or Superior room
The Feature Rooms are the rooms in the oldest part of the hotel, many of which look onto the market square. These rooms ooze individuality! Some have creaking floorboards, others have exposed beams, but all offer endless charm and character.
The Feature Rooms fit with the style of the building and are a little higgledy-piggledy! These rooms do vary in shape and size depending on whether your room is located in the Tudor section, the Georgian section or the Elizabethan section of the hotel. No two rooms are alike which adds to the appeal and charm of the Black Swan.
Each Feature room has been recently refurbished to a very high standard and they all have a warm and homely feel to them. You could quite easy spend the whole day curled up in bed and watch the world go by from the comfort of your room!
Feature or Superior room
The Feature Rooms are the rooms in the oldest part of the hotel, many of which look onto the market square. These rooms ooze individuality! Some have creaking floorboards, others have exposed beams, but all offer endless charm and character.
The Feature Rooms fit with the style of the building and are a little higgledy-piggledy! These rooms do vary in shape and size depending on whether your room is located in the Tudor section, the Georgian section or the Elizabethan section of the hotel. No two rooms are alike which adds to the appeal and charm of the Black Swan.
Each Feature room has been recently refurbished to a very high standard and they all have a warm and homely feel to them. You could quite easy spend the whole day curled up in bed and watch the world go by from the comfort of your room!
Feature or Superior room
The Feature Rooms are the rooms in the oldest part of the hotel, many of which look onto the market square. These rooms ooze individuality! Some have creaking floorboards, others have exposed beams, but all offer endless charm and character.
The Feature Rooms fit with the style of the building and are a little higgledy-piggledy! These rooms do vary in shape and size depending on whether your room is located in the Tudor section, the Georgian section or the Elizabethan section of the hotel. No two rooms are alike which adds to the appeal and charm of the Black Swan.
Each Feature room has been recently refurbished to a very high standard and they all have a warm and homely feel to them. You could quite easy spend the whole day curled up in bed and watch the world go by from the comfort of your room!
Feature or Superior room
The Feature Rooms are the rooms in the oldest part of the hotel, many of which look onto the market square. These rooms ooze individuality! Some have creaking floorboards, others have exposed beams, but all offer endless charm and character.
The Feature Rooms fit with the style of the building and are a little higgledy-piggledy! These rooms do vary in shape and size depending on whether your room is located in the Tudor section, the Georgian section or the Elizabethan section of the hotel. No two rooms are alike which adds to the appeal and charm of the Black Swan.
Each Feature room has been recently refurbished to a very high standard and they all have a warm and homely feel to them. You could quite easy spend the whole day curled up in bed and watch the world go by from the comfort of your room!
Junior Suite
At the Black Swan, they only have one Junior Suite however this room is full of character and history. Located in the oldest part of the hotel, visible in this room are some of the original exposed Tudor beams. If you're on the taller side, then you'll need to be prepared to mind your head in the corridor which links the bedroom to the lounge – back in the Tudor times people weren't as tall as they are today!
The bedroom in the Junior Suite looks onto the market place at the front of the hotel, and the lounge looks onto the peaceful churchyard at the side of the hotel. Both rooms have flat screen TV's and is ideal if you're looking for a little more space, or if you're planning to spend a few days with them.
Classic Twin and Double room
Classic rooms are located in the garden wing of the hotel, and several of these rooms have partial garden views. These rooms are ideal for those of you seeking peace and quiet and a good nights sleep, along with luxury and comfort.
All of these rooms are all individually decorated but have the same underlying design features – inspiration drawn from the North York Moors with muted colours reflect the various seasons and include moss, heather and pebble grey colours.
Please note that due to the location of these rooms, there are quite a few stairs to access these bedrooms and therefore for guests with walking difficulties these rooms aren't recommended. These rooms are however convenient for the car park at the back of the hotel.
The Gallery
Yorkshire is renowned as being a county which produces some of the finest foods in the UK and nowhere is this recognised more than at Helmsley's Black Swan Hotel.
The 3 AA Rosette Gallery restaurant offers a selection of exciting menus which infuse the best of Yorkshire ingredients with creative food combinations, exciting taste bud-popping flavours and modern simplicity.
Named for its dual functionality, throughout the day The Gallery is home to 'Helmsley Galleries', the most important commercial collection of art in the North which showcases many original pieces of artwork. The Gallery is open daily (unless privately reserved for events) and welcomes guests to view the artwork on show in this unique environment. As the evening draws, The Gallery then takes on the more functional role as a restaurant.
Opening Times
Breakfast is served from 8am until 10am
Dinner is served daily from 7pm - 9.30pm
Lunch is only served on a Sunday between 12.30pm - 2.00pm
Afternoon Tea is served from 10am - 5.30pm
Dress Code
Smart casual
Tearoom
Voted the 'Top Tea Place 2010' and a 'Tearoom of Excellence' in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Black Swan Tearoom is both charming and traditional, and offers a fabulous quintessentially English Afternoon Tea experience, which even the connoisseurs of Afternoon Tea wouldn't be able to fault.
In addition to our traditional Afternoon Tea which changes seasonally making best use of the fresh, local produce available to us, we serve a wide selection of brasserie style dishes making the Tearoom the ideal place to meet up for lunch or an early evening meal, or simply just a cup of tea and a chat.
Open daily from 10am until 5.30pm, the Tearoom boasts a fine selection of teas, each carefully and lovingly chosen by our Tearoom Manager. With over 20 types of tea on our menu, we hope that there is something to suit everyone's tastes and needs. For the coffee lovers amongst you, we also have a great selection of coffees.
Opening Times
Breakfast is served from 8am until 10am
Dinner is served daily from 7pm - 9.30pm
Lunch is only served on a Sunday between 12.30pm - 2.00pm
Afternoon Tea is served from 10am - 5.30pm
Dress Code
Smart casual
The Black Swan Location
Map & Directions
Address
Market Place
Helmsley
York
YO62 5BJ
The hotel has two car parks, a large car park at the back of the hotel and a smalled one at the front. To access the back car park drive up the lane to the right of the hotel and you will find the parking at the rear of the building. The front car park requires a permit which should be collected from reception on arrival.
How to get here
Road: Helmsley is 14 miles east of Thirsk on the A170 heading towards Scarborough. We are located at the end on the Market Place Rail: York Station (40 minutes), Thirsk Station (20 minutes), Malton Station (20 minutes) Air: Teesside Airport (50 minutes)
Enter your postcode to view approximate driving directions to The Black Swan.
Location & Local Attractions
Helmsley is located on the edge of the North Yorks Moors, a three mile drive from historic Rievaulx Abbey. York and Whitby are both within a 50 minute drive of the hotel, with Castle Howard, the home of Brideshead Revisited just 12 miles away.
The Black Swan Reviews
- 13 reviews
- Member since 2008
Helmsley, York, YO62 5BJ
- 1
- 2
Lovely time
Susan
We have stayed here a few times and the experience is always extremely good. Lovely food nice rooms and overall a very good relaxing stay.
One night at the Black Swan
We loved everything about it except my wife was served the wrong dish because of waiters poor English. It took too long to rectify and nobody seemed to take control. For breakfast a senior member of staff stood over this waiter to ensure he got the order correct. We have stayed on several occasions and always been delighted.
A Lovely overnight stay
My partner and our little dog were openly welcomed on arrival, we even had a dog bowl and two bonios waiting for our little dog in the room along with a special snuggly blanket for him.
Afternoon tea in front of a log fire was welcome and relaxing and all the staff were very friendly and helpful. The bar was well stocked and we soon made friends to chat with both local and guests. Dinner was a culinary delight with an extensive wine list. Helmsley centre was right outside with quirky shops to explore. Highly recommended and will definitely go again.
Delighted
We celebrated my husband's 70th birthday with an overnight stay at The Black Swan in December. Customer services were impeccable, food was exquisite and the ambience conducive to the festive season. Overall we were delighted. A special mention of the chef who kindly, at my request, provided me with an alternative dessert to the ones on the menu with a selection of fresh fruit. When it was served it completely surpassed all my expectations. We will be back and have recommended this hotel to everyone we have spoken to.
A very special occasion spoiled.
To celebrate my 80th birthday, I booked a two-night stay. I asked at booking, two months ahead, for a quiet room. On arrival, I was assured that our room was quiet, away from traffic and the public rooms. The first night was fine, but on the second night, loud noise from a function immediately below our room was intolerable. A complaint to Reception produced an apology, but nothing else. It was impossible to sleep, into the early hours, so we decided to have a lie-in. However, a noisy breakfast function began at 7am. Hotel policy is to allocate rooms at time of booking. The functions, for Shooting Parties, were booked later, with no reallocation of earlier bookings. My stay was spoiled. Clearly there were other commercial priorities.
Superb hotel
Stayed one night ...loved it. Arrived mid afternoon, freshly baked scones and an amazing selection of teas to choose from. Room was lovely, nice touch having Moulton Brown goodies and even a teddy bear to adopt! Evening meal was excellent, service and food could not have been better. Cosy atmosphere throughout, very friendly team of staff across the weekend. Full Yorkshire breakfast was the best way to start our Christmas shopping weekend in York. Will definitely recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to visit the coast and moors, with plenty to see and do on the doorstep. Hope to visit again soon. Received a lovely postcard from the hotel when I got home, nice touch which was appreciated.
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13 reviews, sorted by Date Rating