A TRADITIONAL village pub has been bought by the Cumbrian firm Jennings Brewery.

The Pack Horse Inn, in Tanfield Village, near Stanley, dates back to the 1600s and is reputed to have been visited by Oliver Cromwell.

According to local folklore, one of his Roundhead soldiers was killed in the pub's car park and is buried in the village churchyard.

The Pack Horse will be leased and operated under the new divisional name of InnVentures. Peter Kennedy, tenant of the Pack Horse for the past 12 months, will become the lessee.

From a base of 16 outlets in 1887, the company's estate has grown to over 110 pubs, stretching from the Lake District to Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and the North East.