Duke brings life back to Cumbrian village
Added: Saturday, July 20th 2013
A Cumbrian pub closed for three years will re-open today, 20 July, thanks to the efforts of a couple who live just a few yards away. Ian and Carol Elliott bought the Duke’s Head in Bridgefoot at auction in February and have lovingly restored the building, putting in a new cellar, floor and bar.
The Elliotts say they bought the pub to give the village a focus. Carol, a medical secretary at Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital, says: “We have opened the pub for the community. It will be somewhere for them to meet and socialise.”
Ian Elliott, a consultant engineer and chairman of Little Clifton parish council, adds: “The community needs to have something. There are no real facilities for people. There are a lot of new houses and families, and people can come down, have a drink and meet other people in the village.”
The couple, who live just two doors from the pub, have been inundated with messages of support from villagers and people living in nearby areas who don’t have a local pub.
They have renamed the Duke’s Head the Duke of Cumberland Inn, which was its name in the 19th century. It will sell Jenning’s cask beers from Cockermouth, with cider, wine and soft drinks. Food to start with will be confined to soup and sandwiches.
The pub will open between 5.30pm and 11pm Monday to Thursday and from 12 noon to 12 midnight at weekends.
