A LANDMARK restaurant in the Lake District has been bought by a local entrepreneur.

The Lighthouse cafe and restaurant in Windermere has been secured for £1.65m by Dutton Cuisine Limited.

The Lighthouse was built in 1877, and is in the centre of Windermere village.

It was refurbished in 2002, and re-opened as a restaurant.

Ian Dutton, founder of Dutton Cuisine, said: "The Lighthouse is an iconic feature of Windermere’s high street and acts as a focal point to the town. We’re pleased to be able to continue the legacy of such an historic building and safeguard jobs.

"We will be completely refurbishing the building and installing a state of the art kitchen in addition to revamping the menu to offer fresh homemade food made with ingredients from the local area."

Mr Dutton added: "The funding from NatWest was vital to the purchase and was assisted by the work of Colin Johnson at Moore and Smalley Accountants, which made the deal possible."

Manager at Nat West, Mark Ward, said: "Ian Dutton is an excellent local entrepreneur, taking a true hands-on approach to running his business. The relationship between the bank and Dutton Cuisine began 15 years ago, and has gone from strength to strength as the business has developed. We’re excited to see where it will go in the future."

Mr Johnson, from Moore and Smalley added: "This deal is fantastic for the local community and will bring renewed energy to an iconic part of Windermere’s high street.

"The purchase of The Lighthouse is a testament to the ambition and hard work put in by Ian and his wife Annette, and we look forward to working with them in the future."

Dutton Cuisine has two other food establishments in the region, The Pig in Windermere and the Village Bar and Grill in Bowness.