Underbarrow Pub

The Black Labrador, formerly the Punch Bowl, is a Lake District coaching inn dating back to the sixteenth century. Nestled in the heart of Underbarrow near Kendal it is the centre of the village social life.

In need of new kitchens, toilets, additional seating in the restaurant and accommodation, Ben Cunliffe Architects sensitively re-modelled the interior of the pub and designed a bespoke restaurant extension and separate accommodation block.

We worked closely with the clients, the Lake District National Park Authority and the village to achieve a design that worked for everyone involved. As a great community asset, it was vital to ensure the pub remained a viable business, so adding accommodation and increasing the dining space was key to this. The village needed reassurance that their local pub was going to remain a local pub and that parking on the site on the was not reduced. All this was achieved with amazing results. The pub trade has increased and together we have ensured that vital community asset has not been lost.