Quirky teepee café gives new lease of life to historic Greasley Castle site

‘The Dog House on Tour’ café is now open at Greasley Castle Farm.

The cosy, teepee-style coffee spot at Greasley Castle Farm opened its doors for the first time over the jubilee bank holiday weekend, offering visitors the chance to enjoy refreshments steeped in history.

Lying eight miles to the north-west of Nottingham, near Watnall, the castle was built in the mid-14th Century for the soldier and politician Nicholas de Cantelupe.

It was a prestigious building that allowed Cantelupe to display his power and status.

The cosy café is open from Friday to Sunday throughout June.

In 1343, he hosted the Archbishop of York at Greasley, along with several other bishops, earls and knights.

A century later, records show the site had been turned into a farm.

The site’s quirky new café is being run by Paul Oldnall, Emma Oldnall and David Fewster, the owners of The Dog House pub in Kimberley, and therefore is aptly named The Dog House on Tour.

It will now be open every Friday to Sunday from 10am until 6pm throughout June, with hopes to keep it running throughout the summer.

The venue can also be hired out for weddings, parties and other occasions.

Sarah Seaton, Greasley Castle Farm project manager, said the opening weekend was an amazing success.

“They were super busy and everybody who came in absolutely loved it,” she said.

“The food is beautiful and someone told me the hot chocolate is the best they’ve ever had. It really seems to have taken off well.”

The new coffee shop can be found on the historic Greasley Castle Farm site.

Sarah will soon begin offering tours of the site and its old buildings, ahead of further restoration work to create a museum dedicated to its history and workshops for local businesses.

“There’s quite a lot to see, especially when most people didn’t even realise there was a medieval castle on their doorstep,” she said.

“There is so much history to the site and we have some of the largest medieval fish ponds in the country.

“We now really want this to become a community hub and I feel that is what it is turning into.

The venue can also be hired out for weddings, parties and other occasions.

“There is nothing in the area that does anything like this.

“We’re currently waiting for planning permission to go through, but it’s all moving forward in the right way for us and we’re really happy.”

If you are interested in holding an event in the teepee at Greasley Castle Farm, click here for more information.