A well-loved community pub is under new management. 

The General Burgoyne Pub at Great Urswick was previously run by John Oldfield, who took on the reins in 2018 aged just 19 to stop it from becoming another pub that closed down in the area.

John left the pub on September 29 and it briefly closed before it was taken again on October 3. 

The new landlords are Claire Farrell and her fiance Kevin Pietrzak.

Claire is well-known in the area because she also runs the Kings Arms pub in Ulverston. In 2021, she gave the Ulverston pub an 'extensive' renovation. 

She has already spring-cleaned and painted the General Burgoyne and changed the layout of the conservatory dining area but wants to keep the traditional feel of the pub while bringing some parts of the interior up to modern standards. 

The Mail: The dining area in the conservatory The dining area in the conservatory (Image: Claire Farrell)

The pub will be serving gastro-pub classics, such as steak, fish and chips, mushroom stroganoff, cheese and onion pie, and the 'Burgoyne Burger.' 

The food will be sourced from local suppliers such as Browns of Lindal and Brocklebanks of Ulverston. 

Claire said every other week they are going to a 'pop-up Thai night,' due to the success of working with Bea Grice for the Kings Arms. Bea had to close her Thai restaurant 'Bea's Thai' in Ulverston earlier this year. 

When asked if it is difficult to take on a pub considering the cost of living crisis, Claire said: "The community are right behind the pub. There's lots of challenges to running a pub, I think running any business is challenging but businesses do survive it is about adapting."

The Mail: The sandwiches on offer at the new General Burgoyne The sandwiches on offer at the new General Burgoyne (Image: Claire Farrell)

In terms of plans for the pub, Claire said: "We're not going to change the 'pubby' parts of it just decorate the extension area. We are just giving it a paint job not trying to make it modern." 

Claire and Kevin are planning on staying with the pub for the long run. They are going to live on the premises and Claire's daughter works nearby. 

Claire is a folk musician and wants to bring live music into the pub in the future.