It’s not easy to combine the old with the new—to keep the best of each without losing some integral, unforeseen element holding one or both together.
Just ask Haydn and Dee Picton. The couple is behind the resurrection of a landmark that occupies a special place in local history: the Campbell River Lodge’s pub-restaurant. Styled after Hudson’s Bay Company trading posts, it was one of the earliest fishing lodges in the village, built next to the Campbell River in the late 1940s.
A Campbell River landmark reborn
The establishment became a long-standing social centre for the community, including those who worked in the North Island’s forests, mills, and surrounding waters. But the pub’s days were over by the time Haydn, a UK native, arrived in Campbell River three years ago to manage the hotel portion of the lodge.
The space was being used for hotel storage, but Haydn thought, “This is a British bar. It needs to be open.” Meanwhile, his wife Dee was still in Asia, working with her family and already running a restaurant, when she got the call.
“He told me, ‘You know what? You should come here,’ she recalls. “‘Let’s make this happen!’ And I said, ‘Are you sure—is it worth it?’”
A video shot on Haydn’s phone sold her.
“I’ve been to the UK so many times,” she says. “I saw the place and its low ceiling—it’s very British. So I thought, why not a British theme?”
It took time to develop plans and bring the lodge owners on side. Once an agreement was reached, the real work began.
“We had electricians in, plumbers in, people coming through, sorting things out,” Haydn says. “We had a lot of support from family and friends, and it all just came together.”
“You can be coming in here for months, and walk in one day and say, ‘I’ve never seen that before. Where did that come from?'”
Built for atmosphere
The establishment features post-and-beam decor with brick and stone work, stained glass and rough-hewn timber, wood carvings, and pictures from logging days gone by. Old saw blades adorn walls and beams, along with axes, chisels, and other bits of early logging equipment. Of course, the British theme would not be complete without dartboards and billiards.
“You can be coming in here for months, and walk in one day and say, ‘I’ve never seen that before. Where did that come from?’” Haydn says. “When you’re in the UK, the history is unbelievable. You’ve got literally hundreds upon hundreds of years of buildings, character, and generational knowledge that’s been saved. So I’ve always understood the importance of how an object can have a memory. It’s so important to try and save as much as you can. So we did.”
Make no mistake, there is an added cost to preserving style and atmosphere while modernizing services. For example, it might be cheaper to tear out a ceiling to rewire and upgrade lighting, or to punch through a wall to rework some plumbing, but not if you want to preserve that particular section of heritage wall or ceiling.
Another requirement is a healthy understanding that there will be surprises, some of them unwanted, lying in wait. “One problem typically leads to another,” says Haydn. But that’s part of the fun of working with an old building.
“I think it’s always gonna need something, but as long as we understand that what we’re trying to do is build not just a place to go for good food, but also the experience that you’re gonna have, as if you’ve walked into a British pub, then I think we’re going in the right direction.”
“This place from day one has been a blue-collar bar. It’s been about people who work hard and long all day and can walk in with muddy boots and sawdust on their jackets”
Public reaction has been positive and encouraging, says Dee, particularly from people who remember the place from days gone by.
“They’ve been so supportive,” she says. “They’re happy to see it open again.”
“Without even knowing what the problems were, people were (saying) ‘Okay, let us know if we can help.’ It’s unbelievable, the community spirit behind this place. It keeps us going.
A pub where everyone is welcome
“This place from day one has been a blue-collar bar,” Haydn says. “It’s been about people who work hard and long all day and can walk in with muddy boots and sawdust on their jackets. They can have the same damn good meal as anybody else. We’re very keen to make it that kind of place. This is a working man’s bar that is friendly for families, where people can just feel at home.”
Not surprisingly, the menu features such British pub fare as beer-battered fish & chips (using a Lucky Lager batter for a local twist), an English breakfast, Scotch eggs, bangers & mash, and more. Future plans include high tea on the lawn by the river and a traditional Sunday roast dinner. The focus, wherever possible, will be on locally sourced ingredients. The Pictons mix their own burger meat and make their own sausages. They’re also supporting other local businesses, like the nearby Sourdough Whisperer bakery that provides them with bread and pastries.
“When you have a space this diverse that can be used in so many different ways, the opportunities are boundless,” Haydn says. “You’ve got opportunities for events, for weddings, Christmas parties, birthday parties. We’re gonna have a live entertainment stage in here. We’re really keen to connect with local bands and local musicians.”
On the river
From the road, it’s easy to miss one of their biggest assets. Newcomers, and even some locals, are surprised to see the pub’s front-row view of the iconic Campbell River flowing past at the edge of the lawn.
Wildlife includes bald eagles nesting in trees along the river, raccoons, mink, deer, the occasional bear and cubs, seals, sea lions, kingfishers, and waterfowl. And of course, in later summer and fall, spawning salmon swim upstream right past the lodge. One can literally step down into the river from the lawn and cast a line.
In years gone by, the site went by names like The Woodshed and The Local, but another name attached to the location seemed a better fit: The Goose and Gander. A British pub needs a double-barrelled name, after all.
