A DEPARTMENT store has doubled the size of its cafe in a £600,000 revamp which will create 22 jobs.

Eight-month-old Charlie Barker launched the 1882 Café & Bistro at his family’s flagship store in Northallerton while sitting on a pony, to highlight the Barker family’s links to showjumping and the café’s family values.

The café has expanded from 60 to 110 tables, with an upstairs bistro added to the ground floor self-service area, which will have a total of 67 staff.

For the first time in the High Street store’s 130-year history, it will have a café joined to the rest of the 40,000 sq ft shop, following the construction of a bridge across Barkers Arcade.

The shop’s managing director, Charles Barker, said it had taken nine months to complete the scheme at the Grade II-listed building.

He said: “We thought that if we were going to do this job, it would be nice to make it part of the main store too.”

The café relaunch marks the 50th anniversary of the store’s first café, which became a popular venue for wedding receptions in the 1960s.

These were held in the store on most Saturday afternoons.

Mr Barker said:“This marks a return to a slightly more traditional waiter and waitress service in a very comfortable setting.”