A TEESDALE hairdresser is calling time on her award-winning bed and breakfast after almost 30 years.
Barnard Castle’s Margaret Lodge has run Strathmore Lawn East, in Galgate, since October 1988 welcoming thousands of guests to her grade-II listed home.
But the grandmother-of-four has now sold the site to move into a bungalow with her husband.
Mrs Lodge said she would miss the greenery visible from the front window and the amount of hard work she did at the B&B.
“I cook, I do the laundry, I serve – in many aspects I am a one-man band,” she said.
“It’s a very hard job – if you’ve got two couples it’s even better as you can have a turn off. It’s been very labour-intensive but I have enjoyed it – otherwise I wouldn’t have done it.”
Apart from an 18-month spell in Gainford, Mrs Lodge has lived and worked on Galgate all her life.
Her family moved into the former doctor’s surgery as it offered more room for her business and very shortly after they decided to start a B&B.
“Before the internet we would see people walking up and across looking for a bed for the night – knocking their journeys on the head,” added Mrs Lodge.
“It’s a different ball game altogether now with iPhones and it’s better really as you’re not sat here waiting.”
Her 30-year spell at the helm saw her meet hundreds of people as well as regular guests.
There were “nice people” as well as some of the “not so nice sort” and the odd strange occurrence along the way.
Mrs Lodge added: “We’ve had some weird moments in the B&B over the years. One day we had five armed police up in one of the bedrooms all kitted out with guns. You just never know what’s going on in this town.”
Among the guest house’s most recent accolades were an AA Silver Breakfast Award and a Simply the Guest award from internet provider LateRooms.com. Despite calling time on the B&B side of the business, Mrs Lodge stressed she was not giving up hairdressing just yet.
She said: “Everyone has been saying I’ll be retiring and doing nothing since the house has been up for sale.
“I’ve had a notice up in the salon saying ‘I am moving house, not retiring’ but people still don’t quite get it.”
The Zhoo, in Galgate, will welcome Mrs Lodge as part of the hairdressing team once the planning paperwork at Strathmore Lawn East has been processed.
“I’m looking forward to it,” added Mrs Lodge.
“It will be nice to work with some different people as I haven’t done that before – wherever I’ve worked in the past it’s been with my own staff.”
With more time available, Mrs Lodge said she was looking forward to spending more time with her two dogs, Sally and Sophie. And when it came to the future of the house, she hoped its new inhabitants would make the most of it.
Mrs Lodge added: “It’s going to be nice to have two families living here. I just hope they’re going to be happy here.”
