The George is the oldest hotel and bar in Keswick, dating back to the time of the English Civil War.

This former Jennings-owned hotel, is now one of about 1,500 owned by the recently formed Marston’s Pub Company, which is evicting the current loyal tenant.

It is closing on Good Friday and as far as I can gather, all staff apart from the manager have found alternative employment.

Unless they haven’t done their homework, why would the board of this pub company want to take over a labour-intensive hotel in a town where there is a dire shortage of hospitality workers ? But big companies sometimes move in strange and what to some of us appear to be irrational ways.

It’s a lovely old hotel but with no on-site parking. Any car park it had was sold years ago. And with 800+ holiday houses in Keswick, car parking is possibly going to reach crisis point later this year.

This all adds up to this pub company making a strange and cruel decision to commandeer this hotel and turn it into a managed house.

I predict that the Marston’s Pub Company will sell out before long.