AN ARTS organisation's reimagining of a Grade II-listed pub has been praised as 'really impressive' by the chief executive of a charity that has contributed funds.

The Farmer’s Arms is being given an expanded offering by Grizedale Arts, which purchased it late last year.

The much-loved site at Spark Bridge, near Ulverston, is set to feature a workshop, meeting space, museum, community arts centre and pop-up shops, in addition to the pub.

Matthew Mckeague, chief executive of The Architectural Heritage Fund, which provided a loan to help with Grizedale Arts' work, praised the project under way at the site. 

On Friday, Mr Mckeague was shown around the site for the first time.

"We have a lot of pubs falling into disrepair - a lot of them are historic buildings," he said.

"So we need to find a way of reviving them.

"The idea of having an arts venue in a pub is potentially something that could be really exciting."

The stable bar at the Farmer’s Arms is set to open mid-July.

In addition to the restructured indoor offering, outdoor spaces at the pub will be redeveloped to host varied community activities and to grow produce for use in the inn.

Emma Sumner, valley project manager at Grizedale Arts, emphasised the importance of the pub to the community.

“Everybody has a story about it,” she said.

“All those celebrations, all those rites of passage that were celebrated in this space.”

Miss Sumner said Grizedale Arts purchased the site from Star Pubs and Bars for around £420,000 last year. 

More than £300,000 of this money was investment from the community.

She highlighted the consultation element of Grizedale Arts’ plans, with the project being discussed with and shaped by the community.

“We could just see it as an opportunity to reinvent a space that had declined over the years,” she said.

“We wanted to get involved because we knew the community had a concern about the future of this space.

“We could see the potential but we could see what could happen if we didn’t take it on."

Miss Sumner said there had been a ‘real fear’ in the community that the site would be taken on by developers and used for an undesired purpose, giving second homes as an example.