THE Little Downham Anchor is open and ready for business again after more than a year of refurbishment and renovation work.

The public house and restaurant, in Main Street, was bought in August 2010 by Tony and Linda Summersgill and the couple have invested time, money and effort into restoring it back to its former glory, and then some.

Along with a new bar and seating area, the venue also has a 70-seater restaurant, dedicated kitchen staff, 11 bedrooms for guest accommodation and facilities available for private hire and functions.

Tony, who also owns ALS Lock in Little Downham, said: “There is nothing else quite like this in the area, it really does ooze quality.

“We have taken our time to get it right and we think our local tradesman have done a fantastic job. The quality is second to none.”

Although the pub and restaurant were open for a ‘soft launch’ at the weekend, the venue’s official opening night is tonight (Thursday) and Tony and Linda are confident they can bring the same high standard of customer service from their car dealership into the Anchor.

The couple have sought to use local suppliers wherever possible and are excited about partnerships with the Ely Gin Company and farmers WR Jackson and AL Saberton of Ely.