A popular Darlington pub has recently reopened after being closed for a month following the departure of the previous tenants.

The Mowden, on Staindrop Road, has always been a popular place to go for a pint or a family meal, and the previous licences built up the business and gave it more of a ‘pub restaurant’ feel with an impressive menu.

Since the end of June, residents of the West End of Darlington, Cockerton, and Branksome, have had to wait until earlier this week to back in their favourite boozer, and of course, the pub’s legendary Sunday lunches.

The Mowden has now been taken over by Kreft Holdings, a pub company that also owns The Pennyweight, The Hole In The Wall, and The Bridge Inn in Stapleton.

The Northern Echo: The Mowden, Staindrop Road, Darlington. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestThe Mowden, Staindrop Road, Darlington. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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Les Langley, regional manager of Kreft Holdings, told The Northern Echo: “We opened on Monday and it was exceptionally busy.

“Actually, much busier than we expected! It was packed.

“I’ve been in the industry for 30 years. I’m from Darlington but I haven’t worked in the town for about 15 years so it was nice to see so many familiar faces.

“We did our quiz on Monday and that seems as popular as ever.

“There was a nice, lively atmosphere.

“We’ve got loads of live entertainment and events planned like Bingo that we’ll be having in the function room so it’s nice to welcome people back to their local.”

The Northern Echo: The pub has reopened after being shut for a month. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestThe pub has reopened after being shut for a month. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

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Mr Langley explained he has only been part of the new team at the Mowden since last week but he’s excited to see how the business progresses.

At the moment, opening times are expected to change slightly while the team settles in but for the time being the opening times are:

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  • Monday - Thursday 5.00pm-10.30pm, with food served between 5pm and 9pm.
  • Friday and Saturday 11.30am-11.00pm, with food served between 11:30am and 9pm.
  • Sunday 11.30am-10.00pm, with food served between 12pm and 6pm.

The Mowden’s pub quiz takes place on Mondays from 8:30pm.

The Northern Echo: The Mowden reopened last Monday (August 7). Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestThe Mowden reopened last Monday (August 7). Picture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The Northern Echo: Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestPicture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The Northern Echo: Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestPicture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The Northern Echo: Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestPicture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The Northern Echo: Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestPicture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The Northern Echo: Les Langley is the new regional manager of Kreft Holdings and will be mainly based at The Mowden. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, NewsquestLes Langley is the new regional manager of Kreft Holdings and will be mainly based at The Mowden. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)

The Northern Echo: The pub has been 'exceptionally busy' since reopening this week. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest The pub has been 'exceptionally busy' since reopening this week. Picture: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest (Image: Sarah Caldecott, Newsquest)