New Dearham inn opens after £500,000 makeover

The Old Mill Inn, at Dearham, now offers a restaurant, bar and six luxury bedrooms.

Josh and Amy Church (Image: Supplied)

Josh and Amy Church, who manage the family business, bought the riverside property two years ago.

"It was a pub with 13 rooms and closed when Covid hit," said Josh.

"We had to rip everything back to the brick and start again.

"We have created six superking bedrooms, two bars, a restaurant and conservatory restaurant - a traditional country inn with a modern twist."

The bars have recently opened, the restaurants and bedrooms are expected to open by mid-May.

"We want to create somewhere special for a Sunday roast or private party," said Josh.

One of the luxury bedrooms at the Old Mill Inn (Image: Supplied)

The couple, who live in London and Cockermouth, know all about creating special places. Their family business owns 13 pubs and hotels, 11 of which are in Cumbria.

They opened the Tithe Barn, a successful nine-bedroom boutique hotel with a bar, the Tithe Tap, in Cockermouth, in 2020, after investing £450,000.

They also own Hunters and The Cock and Bull in town.

"The Tithe Barn and Tap have done extremely well," said Josh, who is on the look out for other properties in the area.

"The North Lakes for us seems a bit of a forgotten gem. It's nice and quiet, more town driven, not so busy and touristy as the south."

One of the bathrooms (Image: Supplied)

The couple also own The Grand Theatre in Cockermouth. The family bought the iconic but run-down building in 2015 and have given the facade a major makeover. Work has started inside but not been completed.

The plan is to create units and rent them out.

"I feel very frustrated because people are not available to build," said Josh.

"We plan to incrementally open the units based on demand. We would like to see things open by Christmas but it's subject to other things."