The General Burgoyne in Great Urswick ‘quietly’ opened its doors for the first time in four months at the weekend.

The Church Street pub has closed, reopened and changed hands several times over the last few years.

On July 10, the pub announced that it was operating under new manager Jo Ritchie.

Jo was born and raised in Great Urswick and has strong family ties to the area as two generations of her family were also brought up in the village.

The new landlady revealed that her first ever job was a waitress at the Burgoyne when she was 15 years old.

Jo said she remembered how the pub used to be famous for its pie and peas, which is something she wants to restore.

Jo chose a ‘wonderful’ afternoon for her soft opening on Sunday July 28 ahead of the official opening which will be held on Saturday August 3 from 3pm.

In a statement on the pub’s social media page, Jo wrote: “Well what a wonderful Sunday afternoon to quietly open the doors of the General B after being closed for 4 months. 

"We will have our official opening on Saturday 3rd of August from 3pm but feel free to pop in before then for a drink.

"Food will follow. Watch this space for our service times and new menu."

In 2018, Urswick man John Oldfield took on The Burgoyne at the age of 19 before leaving the Robinsons Brewery pub in September 2022 due to 'personal circumstances.'

The pub was quickly taken over by Claire Farrell and her finance Kevin Pietrzak on October 3, 2022.

The couple also run The King’s Arms pub in Ulverston, which ultimately led to them closing The General Burgoyne in May 2023 as they could not keep up the workload between both establishments.

Another manager was brought in and ran the pub for less than a year before closing again.

The General Burgoyne closed four months ago when it ceased operations on March 20 of this year.

Opening times this week are listed as:

Thursday 5pm - 10pm

Friday 3pm - 11pm

Saturday 3pm - 11pm (official opening bash)

Sunday 3pm - 10pm