Welcome to The Ark: 400-year-old Flockton village pub reopens after two years

The pub, which was formerly the George and Dragon, is more than 400 years old and has been closed for two years.

Now, after being taken on by husband and wife team David and Leah Lockwood of the Nailmaker Pub Company, the pub has been refurbished with more work planned for this year.

The couple, who own six other pubs in the area, bought what is now The Ark, in January and have spent weeks sprucing it up ready to welcome customers back and opened its doors on February 22.

Leah said: “Our passion is village pubs and maintaining them, making them the centre of the community.

"When we saw the building we just fell in love with it and its features. It has so much potential.

“We want to make village pubs warm and welcoming. We care passionately about all of our pubs.

And the Flockton community has been at the centre of the renovations, with Leah and David keeping them in the loop every step of the way.

"We are sensitive to the community of Flockton and had them involved throughout. They could pop down and have a chat about the work we were doing and look around to see what was being done.

"Our Facebook page was updated daily and we invited them to tell us what they would like to see.

"The people of Flockton gave us such a warm welcome and great feedback.

"We opened on February 22 and it’s been wonderful. Someone said it has brought the village together.”

Renovations include wood burners to fireplaces, increased central heating and made The Ark a traditional, cosy village pub.

The original oak flooring is being refurbished and it has been decorated throughout.

Plans are now being made to work on the outside of the building and create a beer garden, all keeping in the pub’s village style.

The bar is being managed by Melanie Dickinson.

Leah said: “Melanie not only knows pubs, she knows Flockton and its people. She’s perfect to run The Ark.”