The new tenant of an historic village pub once owned by his family says he wants to transform it into a venue the community deserves.

Matthew Sankey has taken over The George and Dragon in Speldhurst, near Tunbridge Wells.

His grandparents, Jennifer and Richard, bought the pub and restaurant in 1965, where they became known for their game dishes and had high-profile customers such as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

After they died, their son and Matthew’s dad, Guy, decided to sell it to a firm which would then become part of Brakspear Brewery, which still owns it.

However, in March, Matthew received a call asking him if he would be interested in taking on the tenancy.

The dad-of-two said: “I always said if the opportunity came, it would be looked at really seriously, so it was a no-brainer.

“We did not expect that phone call but we are delighted it came. The stars aligned and it just felt right.”

Despite only receiving the keys at 10am on Monday, April 14, Matthew opened the pub and restaurant at noon the same day, which he said was “a bonkers” move.

He added: “Week one was really busy. We served more than 100 fish and chips and 1,000 pints of beer.

“It has been incredible. The support we have had specifically from the local village has been massive.”

Matthew, who is the ward councillor for Speldhurst on Tunbridge Wells council, said he wants the business to return to being a food destination and a community hub.

He continued: “The pub had an incredible reputation for amazing food and a great atmosphere and that is what we hope to create.

“Having lived in the village all my life, I know how central this property is to the community and not everyone has got that right in the past.

“We are working to bring it back to what it deserves to be. It is daunting as there is that expectation to live up to.

“Coming back really feels like home. I remember running around this building as a tiny toddler and I am really pleased that my daughter is now doing the same.”

The restaurateur said he will be looking to renovate the pub in time and has even found its original brass doorknocker, which he remembers from his youth and hopes to reinstate.

The George and Dragon is now the third eatery under the Sankey portfolio.

Matthew’s parents, Guy and Maggie, opened their first restaurant, Sankey’s, at The Gate in Hildenborough in September 1980.

By 1989, it had moved to Mount Ephraim, in Tunbridge Wells, where it is still open today.

Matthew took full ownership of the business in 2007 and then opened Sankey’s Fishmongers and The Old Fish Market in Tunbridge Wells.