Piel Island is looking for a new king, and applicants have until Wednesday to apply.
Escape the City, a website for interesting job opportunities around the world, posted the job advert on their website on Monday morning.
The UK government is seeking a new king and landlord for the 20ha island off the coast of the southern tip of the Furness peninsula in Cumbria. The island is one of three islands of Furness in Morecambe Bay, at the mouth of Walney Channel.
Piel has an array of wildlife and is home to the ruins of historic Piel Castle, a now-derelict structure built in the 14th century.
Now the Barrow Borough Council is looking for tenders to secure a 10-year lease for The Ship Inn, the only inn on the island, which hosts a pub with fine traditional ales from local breweries, as well as beers, wines and spirits.
The Ship Inn website says the kitchen serves local line-caught fish and fresh game.
Traditionally the landlord of the island becomes the king (or queen), and the landlord and their family are the only permanent residents of the island.
The new landlord will begin the lease in April after the appointment is approved by members of the authority’s executive committee.
Councillor Ann Thomson, the leader of Barrow Borough Council, which is the custodian of Piel Island and its pub, said the opportunity was “unlike any other to be found nationwide”.
“There’s something incredibly special about Piel Island, it’s certainly a location that is held close to the hearts of so many people across Barrow and the wider area.
“As well as running The Ship Inn, the successful applicant will need to manage and maintain other parts of the island, including its small camp site, taking into account the sensitivities that go hand in hand with a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.”
According to the application, a number of changes and improvements are due to take place on the island from 2022 onwards, including replacing the existing toilet block and considering alternative energy generation as part of the Low Carbon Barrow project.
“The successful applicant will need to be dedicated to their role on Piel — an absolute jewel in the borough’s crown — while taking care of the many people who visit the pub each year.
“While there are periods when the pub and the island are bustling with people, there will be periods of quiet too — something the successful applicant will need to embrace.
“We look forward to the doors of The Ship Inn reopening again for 2022 and the bright future it has ahead of it,” Thomson added.
The island is reachable via a short ferry crossing from Roa Island from April to September from 11am to 4.30pm, while planned guided walks across the sands also take place during days of finer weather.
Escape the City is an innovation by English friends Dom Jackman and Rob Symington.
Unfulfilled, the pair quit their corporate jobs and were looking for a new career but on their own terms. That’s when they came up with their Top 10 Remarkable Opportunities job list 11 years ago, to help others find their unique dream jobs.
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