This week I have been exploring fairly close to home, visiting some places in the area to the south-west of Leeds. A number of pubs were involved, as you might expect....
The Heavy Woollen District is situated across parts of the Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield metropolitan areas, the principle locations being around the towns of Batley, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, and Ossett, spreading out to the likes of Cleckheaton, Mirfield, East Ardsley, Morley, and Horbury. It takes its name from the main activities in the local textile industry which was traditionally the production of heavier woollen materials like blankets, and following the invention of a machine in Batley in 1813 that could process the left-over fibres, soft rags called mungo and hard rags otherwise known as shoddy. Whilst the local textile industry is nowhere near as big as it was, its legacy has meant that by and large each of these towns and villages has managed to retain its own distinct character, even though these days their residents may tend to gravitate towards Leeds as the main shopping and entertainment centre in the area.
I had originally thought I would go over to Manchester on this strike-free weekend and pay a visit to the taproom of the recently-started Sureshot Brewery, but with the weather turning colder, the prospect of hanging out in a (potentially) cold railway arch had become less and less appealing. That, and the fact that the trains were likely to be rammed with a combination of bag-laden Christmas shoppers and prosecco and lager fuelled revellers. So I decided to stay closer to home, and instead take a train ride in the opposite direction, taking in Morley, Batley, and Dewsbury.
There was a bar in Morley that has been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for a year or two that I had never visited previously, so that was to be my first port of call. If you don't know, the railway station in Morley is some distance from the town centre and is situated at the lowest point of the town, where the railway emerges from, at just over 3 miles, what is the 3rd longest railway tunnel in Yorkshire, a few minutes after leaving Batley, historically the de facto centre of the Heavy Woollen District.
Fortunately the bar I was looking for is not too far from the station, a few minutes walk up a gently-sloping and fairly quiet road which passes the odd mill, some tree-lined greenery, and an assortment of housing. Some of the buildings are built in the familiar sandstone of the West Riding, whilst others are built in the brick which makes up much of the Victorian housing to be found a few miles away in Leeds. I arrived at a crossroads, around which there was a traditional pub and a number of more modern bars, interspersed with a few shops and other premises. I had arrived in the area of Morley Bottoms which, when I had lived in the town in the mid-1980's, was something of a rundown, quiet spot. With three roads approaching downhill, in the last few years it has become quite a trendy part of town, with the main shopping areas and traditional pubs up the hill in the centre of town.
The first thing that struck me about Oscars, a former shop, was a number of t-shirts hanging in each of the four window panes, its bright blue painted frontage with the name in white capitals, resembling from a distance a clothing shop. However, closer inspection revealed several people sat inside with a drink at a number of tables, basking in a welcoming and warm-looking orange light. I walked in, the bar was at the far side of the room, with a number of guys stood nearby. I was greeted from behind the bar by a friendly girl with dark hair, from whom I ordered a pint of Bottoms Up, a 3.7% pale brewed for the bar by Leeds-based Sunbeam Ales, from whom there was also a stronger pale ale. A third hand pump was advertising a 4.5% mulled ginger beer called Yule Valhalla, from Wakefield-based alcoholic ginger beer specialists DMC, but with the pump clip saying Best Chilled I assume that mulling in this case related to the adding of spices rather than heating the liquid. I looked around for somewhere to rest my pint, which with a significant area of the bar given over to a display of snacks and with a glass cabinet featuring further edible items, was not easy. I felt a something damp on my hand; it was the nose of a friendly dog who was sat with a family at one of the tables and probably thought that with me being stood next to the snacks it was worth getting friendly with me. Sorry mate, no snacks from me!
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| Oscars, Morley: snackage in abundance |
My beer was pleasant enough and I rated it as a 3 on the NBSS scale, but when it was done, I had about half an hour before my train, and so I ordered a half of the keg 6.5% Phantasticum Hop Healer from Piglove, based in the Cross Green area of Leeds. This was described as an Amazonian IPA, made using Green Bullet and Mosaic hops. It was delicious, and the warmth of the alcohol was what was needed on this cold afternoon. I liked Oscars, the staff and customers were very friendly, and the beers, which were predominantly from local breweries, were interesting, enjoyable, and good value for money. It made a return to Morley well worth it.
I finished my beer, said my farewells, and re-traced my tracks back to the station, arriving with a few minutes to spare before the train to Batley, whilst on the opposite platform there was a large number of people waiting for the train so they could embrace the Christmas spirit in Leeds. My train duly arrived, we were immediately whisked through the tunnel and five minutes or so later, we pulled into Batley station. I went through the subway, passing a greeting on the wall saying Welcome to Batley, up the steps and out of the station. Across a large cobbled area, situated in the basement of one of the grand old buildings dating from the time when the textile trade brought wealth to the Heavy Woollen District, was the next place on the agenda.
The Cellar Bar is a popular bar opposite the station entrance which has just re-appeared in the new Good Beer Guide after several years in the wilderness. It is a place I have been to a few times over the years, my first visit having been yonks ago when it was run by Hambleton Brewery. The brewery had been set up by Nick Stafford in 1991, and has continued to operate ever since, now being run by Nick's daughter and son-in-law from their base in Melmerby near Harrogate, brewing their own range including long-established beers like the 5% Nightmare stout as well as having contracts to brew for the likes of Whitby Brewery and Wharfe Beers.
These days, Saltaire beers dominate the offering, alongside Acorn Bitter, and when I had made it through the busy room to the bar, I ordered a pint of Saltaire Blonde. It took a bit of settling down for which the guy apologised profusely, but once I had started drinking it, there was no problem, a perfectly acceptable NBSS 3. The pub was transfixed by the football on the TV's scattered around the room, which was showing outsiders Morocco on their way to beating Portugal and Christian Ronaldo in the World Cup Quarter Final. There was a great atmosphere, seemingly all of those assembled rooting for the African side. The Cellar Bar, which also has an upstairs function room, is a great place yards from the railway station, and well worth including a mini crawl like this.
I headed back to the station, where I caught the next train to Dewsbury, which is home of course of the legendary West Riding Refreshment Rooms, a place I have written about several times in the past. I walked in through the entrance off the platform, and found a mixed crowd, many of whom enjoying the denouement of the World Cup quarter final. I ordered a pint of Rocky from Long Eaton brewers Shiny, whose beers I have always been impressed with, and retreated into the room to the right of the bar where I managed to find an empty table. Once sat, I took a sip of my beer. This was the first Shiny beer I'd had for a year or two; it was a 4.1% well-balanced pale ale which was the best I'd had so far on this crawl (NBSS 3.5).
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| Eyes on the football at the West Riding, Dewsbury (TV not shown) |
A loud cheer went up as the football ended, and Morocco had won, becoming the first African team to qualify for a World Cup semi-final. The pub became a little quieter, erstwhile football watchers renewed conversations with their non-watching companions, and, having another half hour to wait before my train back to Brighouse, I returned to the bar to order another pint, this time going for a pint of Stancill Dark, a 3.7% easy drinking dark mild-style beer. And it was most enjoyable, just shading the Shiny as my best pint of cask on this impromptu mini crawl (NBSS 3.5).
I finished my beer, went back out on to the platform, and waited for my train, having had a most enjoyable afternoon. Back in Brighouse, I just had time for a quick pint at the Crafty Fox before getting my bus home. And, ironically, considering my original plan for the day, it was a keg beer from Sureshot Brewing...
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