The Black Lion (Cumbria)

In 2023, following the closure of the Black Lion pub in Ireby, “The Black Lion Community Group, now a limited company, came into being…We have plans for the Black Lion to be run as a community pub and village social hub, providing a wealth of new opportunities and services for locals and tourists.” The Black Lion Community Group is run by a committee which includes both Tim and Denise Hardy (owners of The Fitzwilliam Galleries) who as recently as November 2024 hosted a meet of the violent North Cumberland Hunt at their home (and Lancashire Hunt Sabs reported that later that day Mr Hardy used his car to block a public highway to stop their vehicle from following the hunt. Profiles on the BLCG webpage clearly say that Mr Hardy “has a keen interest in local country activities”…’New opportunities and services for locals and tourists’? It seems logical to assume that a re-opened Black Lion pub would soon become a venue for hunt meets too.