The Royal Barn in Kirkby Lonsdale is preparing for it's six month anniversary.

The micro brewery and bar opened in December after a transformation from an auction mart, which took three years to complete.

The co-owners of the bar are James Law and Stuart Taylor.

Mr Law said: “Our very first weekend coincided with the Christmas markets in the town, and as such it was a lot busier than we had initially anticipated. The project had taken a long time, and nobody was sure what to expect.

"People have told us they think it’s quite a trendy venue and wouldn’t be out of place in a big city such as Manchester.”

Mr Taylor said: “The tourists claimed they didn’t expect to see a venue like it in such a small town. It was amazing to see everyone’s faces when they walked in.”

On one of the walls inside the pub is a 'Kirkby Lonsdale' sign, which is an original, and dates back to before the first world war.

The design, interiors, and cycling themed accessories, were the vision of not only both owners, but friends, family and associates.

Mr Taylor said: “The biking theme is something we all got on board with, as it is a shared hobby of us all.”

He added: “We took inspiration from other places, using themes that we liked, and brought it altogether for this industrial, rustic look and feel. We wanted to do something a bit different.”

A unique feature of the venue is that they can brew ales on site. There are six barrels at the Royal Barn, and also five barrels at the Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery.

Mr Taylor went on the say that they had seen a huge surge in the craft beer market and a big rise in the number of micro-breweries over the last eight years.

Brewery tours and tastings are part of their plans, in addition to evenings of live music and other events.

The venue is also available to hire for wedding receptions, christenings and corporate parties.