A Great Clifton pub, where coal miners from the village used to drink, will bear its old name once more.

The Old Lions Club will open under new management on Tuesday and will change its name back to the Queen’s Head, by which it was known in its heyday serving local pitmen.

John Elliot, 64, of Crossbarrow Hall, who has owned the building since about 1990, said he decided on the name change in discussions with his stepson Nicky Dixon, 25, and his wife Leah, 33, who are the new licensees.

Mr Elliot added: “This was the main pub where miners quenched their thirst. It was their first port of call.

“We are trying to create a friendly atmosphere and to make it authentic.”

It is believed to have opened as a pub in the late 19th century.

Mr Dixon said he would make use of the pub’s function room and wanted to set up a snooker league and host karaoke nights.

Gordon Steele, 81, of The Gables, Great Clifton, started work down the mines when he was 14 and has been a regular at the pub for most of his life.

He said: “I could tell you a few tales about this place and it would be a bestseller.

“They used to have the pints lined up for the miners.

“My father used to play the piano there and I remember when the old singing room was chock-a-block.”

The pub, which is being redecorated, is due to reopen on Tuesday, with an official opening on Friday.

The local colliery opened in 1861 and was closed in 1959.