A Lake District inn has been officially reopened following a multi-million-pound revamp.
The Swan, at Grasmere, was bought by the Inn Collection Group and the North East firm carried out the refurbishment, which took around 18 months.
Steve Watts, of Grasmere, a fell runner and fundraiser, officially opened the inn.
Steve was the first person fitted with a pacemaker to run the Everest marathon and the force behind the book A Year Like No Other which has raised funds in support of the Evalina Children’s Hospital and the Tony Hudgell Foundation.
He said: “It was a real pleasure to be asked by the guys to be the ribbon cutter and to declare it open. Let’s look forward to it enjoying another 350 years at least of welcoming people to Grasmere!”
Originally built in 1650, The Swan is one of the oldest establishments in the national park.
Almost 100 people took advantage of the offer to sample The Swan’s hospitality. There was also an invitation extended to those in the village to enjoy a drink on the house over the weekend, with performers from The Bread & Butter Theatre Company distributing vouchers whilst in character as Heidi and Henrietta, a pair of wandering Herdwick Sheep.
Part of the husband-and-wife team that runs The Swan, general manager Nigel Brown, said “It was a really good day and it was great to see so many people take up the invitations to come and see what The Swan is about.
“We were able to show ourselves in the best light and we’ve had some really useful conversations with people like Wordsworth Grasmere, Grasmere Sports and Windermere Lake Cruises so we’re looking forward to building on what’s been a fantastic start.”
