A couple have arrived in Morecambe from South Africa to take charge of one of the town's most popular pubs.
Richard and Marianne Verschoor are the new faces behind the bar at the Palatine in Morecambe town centre.
The Verschoors came to Morecambe for the first time last month and reopened the pub last week.
The Palatine had been closed since September following the departure of long-time tenant Bru Wood, after owners Lancaster Brewery put the premises up for sale.
The Verschoors, who previously ran restaurants in Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, decided to come to Morecambe after striking up a friendship with Matt Jackson from Lancaster Brewery.
"For years he would come to watch rugby in South Africa and he stayed with us in Johannesburg," said Richard.
"We were looking for a new challenge in life. We owned two large restaurants in South Africa but Covid put paid to this. The attitude of the South African government hammered the hospitality industry.
"So we were toying with the idea of coming to the UK and doing something in hospitality, as Marianne is a UK citizen.
"We spoke to Matt, and he said that the Brewery had the Palatine up for sale, but they weren't getting the interest or the price they thought they would get.
"So we thought, why don't we come here and reinvent it, and build it up so they can get the price they want to sell it for.
"Then there will be a number of options. They could sell it, we could buy it, or we could move on.
"The Eden Project coming also made it more feasible. That's going to be a game-changer for Morecambe."
Having only seen Morecambe before in videos and photos on the internet, the couple arrived in the town last month and have immediately taken it to their hearts.
"We love it, it's so pretty," said Marianne.
Already, the Palatine looks very different inside, and Richard said they will be moving away from what he called its previous "nightclub" vibe.
"It used to be more of an entertainment centre, it opened at night, but we are taking it back to its roots," said Richard.
"It will be an English pub that serves good wholesome food.
"We have taken out the TVs. We won't be doing live music. We've done away with the stage. There will be background music, and it will be a place to come with your mates or your partner to have a couple of pints in Morecambe."
Here is how the Palatine now looks inside.
The pub will be open from noon until 10pm Monday to Saturday, with an earlier closing time of 4pm or 5pm on Sundays.
Richard and Marianne plan to create a food menu, beginning with basket meals before Christmas, and then add traditional dishes including potted shrimps, Lancashire hot pot, pie and mash, Cumberland sausage, burgers and potentially Sunday roasts, in the new year.
In recent years the upstairs area of the building at 1 The Crescent had been home to restaurants, run separately to the downstairs pub, including The Mad Hunter, 18 North and the Secret Bistro.
But after a refurbishment, the Verschoors will reopen the upper floor in the new year as part of the Palatine pub.
Take a look at our video inside the new-look Palatine.
The couple met in 1991 and married in 2006.
Between them, they have three children and nine grandchildren.
Before entering the hospitality industry, Richard was a pilot for the South African air force, and Marianne ran an event and project management company for more than 20 years.
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