The funeral took place last week of a man who was well-known and respected in the north and west Cumbria pub trade.
Robert ‘Bob’ Chapman had been landlord of The Golden Lion and the Twa Dogs in Keswick and had successfully run both hostelries with his wife Pat.
Described as an old-fashioned landlord, Mr Chapman gained a reputation for turning some of the pubs he ran from under-performing establishments with a poor reputation into very successful enterprises.
Mr Chapman had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for a number of years and died in the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, on December 19, aged 84.
Born and educated in Workington, Mr Chapman began his working career as an apprentice joiner in the town before getting a job on the shop floor at Smith Brothers, a large printing company, for whom he worked for about 20 years working his way up to join the management team.
During his early life Mr Chapman was a keen cyclist riding and competing for Derwent Valley Wheelers and he was also very big into rallying before he went into the pub trade. He competed and was a member of the Workington and District Motor Club and one season he and his co-driver lifted every trophy there was to win in the club which made for an embarrassing presentation night.
Mr Chapman met his wife Pat, who was head of wages at Allerdale Borough Council, at a dance in Workington and were married at St Michael’s Parish Church in 1962.
They both left their jobs to enter the licensing trade and their first pub was The Royal Oak in Workington at which they made a great impression and were offered The Golden Lion in Keswick. Once again they made a success of running the hostelry, increasing its turnover, which was helped by Mrs Chapman’s meals, and trebling the beer barrelage. They were at the pub for seven years and locals would remember the couple’s German Shepherd dog called Kafka which frequented the front bar.
The couple’s two sons – Christopher and Jeremy – met their wives – Fiona and Jacqui – at the Main Street pub.
After the Golden Lion they returned to Workington to run the Traveller’s Rest and then took over The Royal Oak in Beckermet before moving to The Twa Dogs in the mid-90s. Regulars there will remember that one early Red Nose Day the locals sponsored each other to paint the outside of the pub in a day to raise cash for the charity.
They retired after running the pub for a couple of years and moved to Sandgate in Penrith. The couple loved to travel for weeks at a time and enjoyed the south of France. Sadly, Mrs Chapman died six years ago.
Mr Chapman was described as being “a bit of a Victor Meldrew character”. His son Christopher recalled: “He had the mannerisms of Victor Meldrew and whenever it got too busy in the pub he would come into the bar waving a tea towel and shouting: ‘No more food’.”
It was also said at his funeral service that Mr Chapman was: “A man with many a good tale to share with a broad knowledge of any topic you wished to discuss. He led a good life full of interesting experiences. A man that could captivate and engage in conversation with anyone for hours.”
A service of thanksgiving and celebration for the life of Mr Chapman took place at the Eden Valley Crematorium on Monday.
