A TRADITIONAL Carlisle pub will tomorrow take on a new lease of life - by bringing back the good things that many modern pubs have long since abandoned.

For as long as anyone can remember, the Howard Arms on Lowther Street has been the kind of friendly local ‘boozer’ where you could meet your mates, enjoy a good pint and have a lively crack. It was one of the few pubs to resist wholesale modernisation.

Thanks to its new owner, former head teacher Dianne Irving, that tradition will continue - but with an even greater emphasis on the things that have made the Howard Arms a popular local.

A £350,000 refurbishment has created a pub that will also celebrate the city’s history as the home of the famous State Management Scheme - when all of the area’s pubs were taken into public ownership in a bid to curb excessive drinking.

Walk into The Howard Arms and you’ll feel you are stepping back in time - but without a fog of cigarette smoke. The furniture is from the State Management era, the walls oak-panelled, and the staff kitted out in clothing from the 1920s - flat caps, waistcoats, and tweeds.

“The Howard Arms is an iconic Carlisle pub with a special place in people’s hearts,”said Dianne, who also runs the national award-winning Crown Inn at Stanwix, and White Mare at Beckermet.

“We wanted to keep it very much as it is, but make it a better version of itself. We also wanted to celebrate the city’s State Management Scheme, which is such an important part of our history.”

This includes the pub’s menu.

“It will be the food your granny would have made in the old days,” said Dianne. “Dishes such as Spam fritters, mince and dumplings, game pie and rabbit stew followed by homely desserts such as rice pudding and treacle sponge. We’ll also continue the Howard’s long held favourites like fish and chips, and its legendary wholesome curries.”

In one corner of the pub sits a piano, where guest pianists will revive the old-fashioned pub singalong for those who want to join in. You can even join in with traditional pub games such as cribbage and bar skittles.

Dianne said: “Digitally, these days people are more connected than they’ve ever been; but people are more socially isolated. A lot of people have lost the art of conversation. I don’t want a pub where people sit opposite each other with their mobile phones, texting each other.

“One of my greatest joys at the Crown Inn was seeing group of young lads came in for a pint on their way to town one weekend. They got talking to three of our older customers and so enjoyed the stories they didn’t bother with town.”

The restoration has retained the pub’s distinctive green facia tiles and cosy layout, with its nooks and crannies, snug and wooden panels. The pub also offers cask ales, premium lagers, craft ales, spirits and wines.

The pub has its official relaunch tomorrow.