'Old school landlord' takes over ownership of Acorn Inn, Eldwick

The Acorn Inn, on The Green in Eldwick, has recently come under new ownership.

Grahame Albinson and Donna Lee Hunter have taken ownership of the Acorn Inn at Eldwick (Image: Newsquest)

Grahame Albinson, landlord and owner of the Acorn, explained: "I've been manager here for 14 months but when the gentleman who had The Glen decided to move on from this pub, I took the Acorn off of him because I wanted to keep this village pub going.

"I've had it just over two weeks and it's doing very, very well."

The Acorn Inn at Eldwick is under new ownership (Image: Newsquest)

Grahame also sees the Acorn at the centre of village life.

"It's the hub of the village," he said. "There a lot of retired people here and all my customers like having a person who runs the pub with an old school landlord mentality.

"I've never seen myself as a manager. I'm a landlord."

The bar at the Acorn Inn at Eldwick (Image: Newsquest)

Grahame is an ex-Army officer who served in the Falklands War, Northern Ireland conflict and as a peacekeeper in Cyprus.

"I spent 14 years in the Army. From 1975 to 1989, I was in the Royal Corps of Transport," he said.

Grahame has brought his ex-military background into the pub as he has plenty of military memorabilia on display above the bar in the Acorn.

Military memorabilia on display in the Acorn at Eldwick (Image: Newsquest)

"We're a squaddie-friendly pub. I've had my old Army buddies come to visit and my old regiment had a party here."

Grahame also said his old contacts from his Army days will be valuable as he plans to hold a special Armed Forces Day celebration at the pub on Saturday, June 24, in which he is hoping to have a number of military vehicles on display in the pub car park.

It is one of a number of events Grahame and his fiancé Donna Lee Hunter are planning, with others to include the King's Coronation Day in May and the Acorn Festival, a live music event in September.

Inside the Acorn Inn at Eldwick (Image: Newsquest)

Graham also said he planning to do a refurbishment of the pub.

"We will be doing a complete refurb of the pub this summer. It's not changed in about 12 years and we want decorate it and get some new tables and chairs."

With all the plans in the works, Grahame said running the pub has kept him young.

"I'm a spritely 63-year-old," he said. "It keeps you fit having a pub."

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