Almost a year on from buying their much loved local The Captain Nelson Tavern back in November 2024, Philip and Avril Routledge have restored one of Maryport's most loved pubs back to it's former glory. Avril said: "It's always been something on our radar, then last year we were just walking past the pub, its a pub we have frequented for the past 20 years, its always been an amazing community related pub. "One day we were saying why isn't it open and then we said 'Why don't we just buy it?' The interior of The Captain Nelson Tavern(Image: Supplied)Known affectionately by some in the town as 'The Vatican' because it's original owners were Roman Catholics, the pub was named after Captain William Nelson, a Maryport seafarer who commanded sailing ships until he was 70 without ever losing a man or a vessel. "I hope we are showing that it can be done, with hard work, graft and community support'.
