The Carthouse Café at The Old Curio will celebrate its first anniversary on Saturday 1 August, one year after opening inside a restored historic building
Sherburn Hill, County Durham, 27 July 2026: An independent County Durham café will mark its first birthday on Saturday 1 August after becoming a valued meeting place for residents and a new visitor destination for Sherburn Hill.
The Carthouse Café opened at The Old Curio in August 2025. Since then, the venue has welcomed local residents alongside visitors travelling from across County Durham and the wider North East.
However, the anniversary represents more than a business milestone.
In a community with relatively few informal places where people can meet, the café has developed into a regular social space. Customers visit to catch up with neighbours, meet friends, enjoy time with family or simply spend part of the day somewhere welcoming.
The milestone comes as the importance of everyday social contact continues to receive national attention. Office for National Statistics figures published in January 2026 found that almost one in four adults reported feeling lonely often, always or some of the time.
Government research has also highlighted how the closure of pubs, shops and other local venues can reduce opportunities for people to socialise close to home.
Although The Carthouse Café is an independent hospitality business rather than a formal community centre, owner Nikki Gregory believes cafés can still play a meaningful role in creating everyday opportunities for connection.
Nikki said:
“Reaching our first birthday feels like a celebration of everyone who has walked through the door over the past year.
“When we opened, we wanted to create somewhere with real personality, where people could enjoy good food and take a break from the pace of everyday life. What has meant the most is seeing the café become part of people’s routines.
“We have regular customers who are greeted by name, neighbours who use the café as somewhere to catch up and people who feel comfortable coming in on their own. Those small moments of conversation and connection can be incredibly important.
“We would never claim that a café can solve loneliness, but we can create a warm and dependable place where people know they will be welcomed and never made to feel hurried.
“The support we have received during our first year has been wonderful. We are very grateful to our customers, our team and everyone who has helped make The Old Curio a place people want to visit and return to.”
Bringing visitors back to Sherburn Hill
The Carthouse Café sits inside The Old Curio on Front Street, a restored historic building that brings together food, antiques and vintage furniture under one roof.
Visitors can enjoy breakfast, lunch, homemade cakes or afternoon tea before exploring Durham Antiques Cooperative and Vintage Sofa Warehouse.
This combination has helped turn the building into a wider visitor destination, encouraging people to spend more time in Sherburn Hill rather than simply passing through the village.
Nikki added:
“Before The Old Curio opened, there were limited reasons for people from outside the immediate area to make Sherburn Hill their destination.
“We now meet customers who have travelled from different parts of the North East to visit the café, browse the antiques and look around the furniture showroom.
“Every visitor brings activity into the village. They meet our staff and independent dealers, discover the area and often return with friends or relatives.”
A café designed to encourage people to slow down
The Carthouse Café is housed within a building with more than 100 years of history.
Its distinctive interior includes chandeliers, vintage furniture, traditional china, antique tills and William Morris inspired patterns. The surroundings create a strong visual contrast with standardised, fast paced hospitality venues.
Customers can sit in cosy corners, lounge areas and vintage booths, while well behaved dogs are welcome throughout the café.
The team serves breakfasts, traditional comfort food, homemade cakes, artisan coffee, locally sourced teas and afternoon tea.
The café’s approach encourages customers to stay, talk and enjoy their surroundings rather than feeling pressure to leave as soon as they have finished eating.
Plans for the café’s second year
Following the response to its first year, The Old Curio is developing plans to give residents and visitors more reasons to spend time at the venue.
Future proposals include seasonal workshops, an expanded programme of afternoon tea experiences and the restoration of a long unused garden as an outdoor café and community space.
Plans for additional visitor parking are also being explored, subject to planning permission.
Nikki said:
“The response to our first year has shown that people value independent places with character.
“Our aim for the next year is to keep building on that sense of welcome while creating more opportunities for people to meet, enjoy experiences together and discover Sherburn Hill.”
Media are invited to visit The Carthouse Café around its first birthday. Interviews and filming opportunities can be arranged in advance.
ENDS
Notes to editors
About The Carthouse Café
The Carthouse Café opened at The Old Curio in Sherburn Hill in August 2025.
The café serves breakfast, lunch, homemade cakes, artisan coffee, locally sourced teas and afternoon tea. It is also dog friendly.
The Old Curio brings together:
- The Carthouse Café
- Durham Antiques Cooperative
- Vintage Sofa Warehouse
The venue is located at The Old Curio, Front Street, Sherburn Hill, County Durham, DH6 1PA.
Current opening hours are Wednesday to Sunday, from 10am until 4pm. Café last orders are at 3pm.
Interview opportunities
Nikki Gregory is available to discuss:
- The café’s first year
- The importance of informal social spaces in smaller communities
- Loneliness and everyday social contact
- Independent hospitality
- Restoring and repurposing historic buildings
- Attracting visitors to Sherburn Hill
- The challenges of establishing a destination business in a village location
A regular customer, local resident, member of staff or independent antiques dealer may also be available for interview, subject to consent and availability.
Filming and photography opportunities
The venue can provide strong visual material, including:
- The historic exterior of The Old Curio
- The Carthouse Café’s chandeliers and heritage inspired interior
- Tea and coffee being served in traditional china
- Homemade food and cakes being prepared and served
- Customers meeting and socialising
- Dog friendly café visits
- Visitors browsing the antiques centre
- Independent dealers discussing unusual items
- Vintage furniture displays
- Nikki and the café team reflecting on the first year
Filming can take place during opening hours or at another arranged time.
Background and supporting evidence
The Carthouse Café opened in August 2025 and will celebrate its first anniversary on 1 August 2026. Future plans include seasonal workshops, additional afternoon tea experiences, a restored garden and further parking, subject to planning permission.
Office for National Statistics research published in January 2026 found that 23 per cent of adults reported feeling lonely often, always or some of the time.
Research commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport found that the decline of high streets and the closure of pubs and other local venues affected people’s ability to socialise. The research also highlighted the importance of maintaining local facilities and creating spaces where people can interact.