Popular Ullswater cafe celebrates stunning new public space
Granny Dowbekin’s, Pooley Bridge’s popular café, is once again celebrating a new addition. A beautiful new riverside room with views over the Eamont towards Dun Mallet and the foot of Ullswater has
Colin Hindle, owner of
Granny Dowbekin’s
increased capacity of this much-loved tea rooms to 100 inside and a further 100 over a number of pretty terraced areas.
This latest project is the culmination of several years of investment to the tune of £750,000 and expansion resulting in six new full time positions. In late 2013, the team undertook to improve facilities in the existing building including installing a professional kitchen followed shortly after in April 2014 with a dedicated bake house where the talented ‘Granny D’s’ bakers had free reign to devise tempting, fresh bakes that the place is so famous for.
Further extension in 2016 and a rebrand resulted in a lighter and brighter tearoom where customers could enjoy the best vantage point in the village from which to watch the installation of the new temporary bridge. And the results speak for themselves – in 2017 Granny D’s served a whopping 80,000 meals!
Owner, Colin Hindle said:
“We are delighted that the beautiful new Garden Room and Terraces provide a setting for our customers in keeping with the world class scenery that surrounds us.”
At Granny Dowbekin’s, situated right by the river in Pooley Bridge adjacent to the bridge, the most commonly asked question is “What’s happening with the new bridge?” And the answer to that is – design and planning is moving on apace with initial concept designs suggesting a stunning single-span bridge whose design incorporates a nod to the 18thcentury stone bridge that was so dramatically destroyed by Storm Desmond in December 2015, while using the very best in 21stcentury engineering and materials to create a structure that will undoubtedly generate conversation and comment for years to come.
Sarah Jackson Fowler – the longest serving member had the honour of cutting the ribbon.
This latest addition to Granny Dowbekin’s is the most recent development in the regeneration of Pooley Bridge as a destination for both tourists and locals.
Colin and the team are all very excited and looking forward to welcoming both regular and new customers plus groups of up to 40 for private parties (daytime or evening) as the festive season approaches.
Colin commented:
“Granny Dowbekin’s has been a mainstay in the village for over 100 years and despite the dark days of ‘Desmond’, the media spot light that subsequently lit up Pooley Bridge spurred us on to create a more resilient business. Those difficult months made me in particular realise that as a small business owner, I have to do everything I can to protect the jobs and the livelihoods of my team and keep responding to visitors’ ever growing demand and interest in our beautiful Ullswater valley.”
Granny Dowbekin’s is located just beside Pooley Bridge itself. The Tearoom is open daily from 9am – 5.30pm serving breakfast, fresh bakes, sandwiches, hearty lunches and traditional afternoon teas. For more information visit www.grannydowbekins.co.uk