A FAMILY which has transformed a former social club in Beamish village into a pub is asking historians to solve a mystery connected with its name.

John and Irene Gray, together with their son, John, have refurbished the former View Top Club to create a pub and restaurant.

They needed to rename the pub and came up with what must be one of the most unusual names in the region, Peggy's Wicket.

It is named after a local landmark, but they are stumped as to who Peggy was.

They have scoured local history books and contacted Beamish Museum which has no specific information about who Peggy was.

It was John Gray, John and Irene's son, who also works in the pub, who came up with the name Peggy's Wicket.

He said: "The name is unique and we wanted our pub to be really memorable. It has created a lot of local interest and we would love to have more information about the background to the name."

Licensees Mr and Mrs Gray have run pubs in the region since 1989, but at Peggy's Wicket they have been able to create a pub and restaurant from scratch, which was exactly what they wanted.

Mrs Gray said: "We have created a pub we are really proud of and the name has gone down very well with the locals."

It has an no-smoking restaurant and lounge and a bar with pool and dominoes where smoking is allowed.

Anyone who can help with the origin of Peggy's Wicket is asked to call (0191) 370 0384.