A landmark returns to life
A shuttered High Street fixture is getting a second act. The County Hotel in North Berwick, closed since summer 2019, will reopen next week with a new name, a new look, and a bigger role in the town’s hospitality scene. The venue has been reborn as The Law, a nod to the volcanic hill that towers over the seaside town. For locals who watched the building slide into disrepair, the change is immediate and striking: fresh paint, new signage, and lights back on after years of dark windows. The North Berwick pub is open for business again.
The scale of the upgrade is hard to miss. Backed by an £850,000 investment, Heineken-owned Star Pubs has partnered with Edinburgh-based Discovery Group to overhaul the Category C listed property from top to bottom. The building’s story stretches back to around 1815, when it is believed to have started life as a post house. That heritage isn’t going away, but the owners have modernised the operation to match how people eat, drink and travel today.
Inside, everything has been renewed: plumbing, electrics, kitchens, and customer areas. The layout now supports different uses across the week. There are two distinct bars, a restaurant with its own bar, a flexible function space for gatherings, and 11 ensuite letting rooms upstairs for visitors who want to stay near the beach, golf, and the coastal trails. It’s a full-service venue rather than a single-use pub, designed to stay busy from morning coffees to late-night last orders.
Outside, the facelift is just as deliberate. The façade has been restored and repainted in a classic dark green, with new lighting and planting that fits the town centre’s look. Around the back, an overgrown yard has been turned into a 100-seat garden with new furniture and a paved patio. Operators describe it as one of the largest pub gardens in North Berwick—a real draw on warm days and an extra seating buffer during busy weekends.
The Law will run as a family- and dog-friendly venue. That matters in a town where weekend footfall includes prams, sandy paws, golfers fresh off the links, and day-trippers up from Edinburgh. It also reflects where the local market has gone: flexible, casual, and welcoming, with a mix of daytime trade and evening bookings rather than only late-night pints.
All of this comes with a hiring boost. The reopening is expected to create 25 jobs, from bar and floor staff to kitchen roles and housekeeping for the rooms. For young workers, it’s another local option rather than a commute into the city. For the operators, it’s a chance to embed training and service standards from day one.
What’s new inside—and what it means for the town
The project is a collaboration between Star Pubs and Discovery Group, which already runs The Ship Inn in North Berwick and manages several pubs and hotels across the Central Belt, including sites in Edinburgh. That track record matters. It signals a professional operation with systems in place for busy coastal trade, seasonal surges, and the expectations that come with a heritage building on a prime street.
Licensing was a key hurdle. The East Lothian Licensing Board approved changes to the premises licence to cover the outdoor garden and extended hours. Some neighbours worried about noise and smoking around the courtyard. Those concerns were noted and conditions added—think tighter controls on outdoor use, clear management of smoking areas, and a framework for monitoring and responding to noise. One resident who initially objected said the plan reassured them, especially compared to living next to a decaying, boarded-up site.
For a small town, reopening a major venue is about more than one address. North Berwick’s economy blends local life with tourism—from the beaches and the Bass Rock to golf, galleries, and summer festivals. Extra rooms mean more overnight stays when hotels fill up. A larger, well-run pub and restaurant gives families and groups a place to book tables together. A big garden eases the squeeze on High Street seats when the sun comes out. It’s the kind of capacity that helps spread demand across the centre, rather than pushing queues to the same handful of venues.
The building’s listed status adds another layer. Category C covers structures of local importance, and while it’s the lightest of Scotland’s listing grades, it still requires careful handling. The upgrade sets a template for how to revive older sites without stripping out their character: keep the fabric sound, add modern comforts, and make the layout work for current habits. After years of deterioration, basic upkeep—roofing, drains, paint—goes a long way to stabilise a heritage asset.
So what will guests actually find? The operators haven’t published a full run-down ahead of opening, but the new layout suggests a mix of casual drinking spaces, a dining area for sit-down meals, and rooms pitched to couples, families, and visiting golfers. Discovery Group’s other sites lean into local producers, cask ales, and Scottish seafood, which hints at the direction here. And with two bars plus a garden, it’s set up to handle different atmospheres in the same building—quiet corners for a pint after a dog walk and livelier pockets for weekend meetups.
For the town, the timing is handy. Reopening at the tail end of summer still catches late-season visitors, while the rooms support shoulder months when walkers, foodies and golf parties fill the gap between school holidays. The venue’s flexibility makes it a candidate for small private events and community functions that need central space without leaving the High Street.
The investment also reflects a wider shift in the pub trade. Operators are betting on multi-revenue models rather than relying only on bar takings. Food, rooms, and events add resilience when costs rise and footfall fluctuates. Star Pubs’ involvement is a signal of confidence too: the company has been pushing to reopen shuttered pubs where local demand justifies the spend, and North Berwick’s steady visitor base makes the numbers easier to pencil in.
Neighbours, of course, will watch how promises translate into practice. The garden will be a focal point on warm evenings, and the test will be how staff manage sound, smoking, and closing routines. Clear signage, staff presence, and a line of communication with residents can make those boundaries real. The licensing framework gives the council tools if issues crop up, but the smoother path is proactive management that avoids formal complaints in the first place.
For now, the mood on the street is simple: curiosity and relief. A long-closed site is back, the scaffolding is gone, and a familiar building looks cared for again. The Law opens into a market that wants comfort and reliability without fuss, and a town that benefits when its landmark properties do what they were built to do—welcome people in.
- Investment: £850,000
- Operator partnership: Star Pubs (Heineken-owned) and Discovery Group
- Spaces: two bars, restaurant with bar, function area
- Rooms: 11 ensuite letting rooms
- Garden: 100 seats, refurbished courtyard and patio
- Status: Category C listed building, origins around 1815
- Jobs: 25 new roles
- Approach: family- and dog-friendly, with licensing conditions for outdoor use