JW Lees invests £1m into old Marston's site

The Bellflower pub in Garstang, Lancashire, has reopened following a £1m investment from new owners JW Lees.

After acquiring the site from Marston's plc in September 2024, the pub has been through an eight-week closure and will now join the JW Lees Managed Pubs Division.

A dilapidated conservatory has been replaced with a new feature veranda to reference the original XL Hotel, while internally a new feature bar sits centrally in a fully refurbished trade space with areas dedicated to drinking, dining and shuffleboards. 

"We love The Bellflower already and it helps us to extend our reach into Lancashire and we think that it’s a pub that we can really add value to in terms of its offering," says William Lees-Jones, MD of JW Lees.

What's on offer? 

The new-look pub offers an impressive bar lined up with JW Lees cask ales and limited edition beers.

The space can accommodate 166 covers, with the new veranda at the front and a beer garden to host an extra 150. 

General manager John Treacy has moved to The Bellflower from the Boot & Shoe in Lancaster, where he had been for three years.

"I’m proud and honoured to be taking the helm of this beautiful building," he says. "We hope to return The Bellflower to its former glory and bring a new lease of life to this lovely pub."

JW Lees is a seventh generation family business which employs over 1,600 people, 150 at the brewery and site in Middleton Junction and over 1,375 in its 48 managed pubs, inns and hotels. JW Lees also lets another 86 pubs to JW Lees Pub Partners.

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