THE wait is finally over as one of Kendal’s oldest pubs re-opens for business tomorrow following a complete transformation.

Ye Olde Fleece, on Highgate, was taken over by people who feared that the town would lose an important part of its history after the hostelry closed in 2018. It was acquired by Westmorland Hospitality Ltd whose directors, Joshua Macaulay and Christopher Moss, said they saw the ‘potential’ and wanted to restore and preserve the hostelry.

“We really wanted to create a cosy and warm atmosphere,” said Dr Macaulay. “We have preserved and restored the wooden panelling as we thought it was crucial to keep the historical features of the pub as well as bringing it back to life.”

Ye Olde Fleece has been completely refurbished and now has a casual luncheon area and a formal dinning room, as well as an afternoon tearoom. There is also a ‘Westmorland Suite’, which is a room free to hire for community groups to use for conferences and meetings.

With an added twist the owners have also transformed one of the rooms, ‘The Wainwright Room,’ into a pop-up cinema.

“The pub has been decorated in a way that reflects Kendal’s history,” said Dr Macauley, “In every room there is something that reminds us of the town’s past and also the landscape we have around us. We think it’s important that the heritage remains throughout the pub.”

The establishment, which officially opens on Friday, will offer an extensive food menu sourced from local produce as well as a good range of craft beers, gluten free and vegan beer too, and real cask ale.

Dr Macaulay said he was excited for the pub to open and that he hoped everyone in Kendal would like what had been done to it. “To re-open a pub like Ye Olde Fleece is really for the community,” he said. “We hope it will create something good for the town.” Business has already begun despite the works not being completely finished in the pub.

“We’ve already got our first wedding booked and most of our retro-movie nights are sold out, so it’s all very exciting,” said Dr Macaulay.