A first-ever visit to a local pub in a Pennine village, the story of a long-gone local brewery, and a look back at some of the pubs that are no more across the South Pennine hills....
A few weeks ago, I visited for the first time the nearest pub in Calderdale to where I live that is in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, even though it has been listed for a few years. This was mainly because it is somewhat out on a limb geographically, and in an area that I don't get near to very often, although in years gone by I did call in the same village fairly regularly. The location in question is Bradshaw, a few miles out of Halifax, where the Golden Fleece is situated.
Bradshaw is situated on the edge of the hills north of Halifax just off the A629 Keighley Road, although it can also approached by turning off the A644 road by the Raggalds Inn close to the village of Mountain near Queensbury. Its Wikipedia entry is fairly brief; it mentions that the village church is dedicated to St John the Evangelist and was built in 1838 at a cost of £1,200, and the cricket team who play in the Halifax League. Like many of the old Pennine hill settlements, the intermittent old stone weavers' cottages with their thick stone walls and mullioned windows have been absorbed within a host of newer developments that could be situated anywhere, with Bradshaw now a de facto dormitory village for the nearby towns and cities. The location of the Golden Fleece reflects these more recent developments. It would at one time have stood on its own, situated on a lonely lane before it heads off on its way up the hill, the pub's custom coming largely from the local farming community. Today, whilst it backs on to open countryside, across the road it faces a row of somewhat characterless modern housing.
The pub is a typical stone-built affair as is regularly found over the old West Riding of Yorkshire, a solid-looking building with a narrow extension tagged on one side. A neat frontage with a central sign and a number of hanging baskets were on display, gently swaying in the breeze. Most striking though is a large and attractive mural on the one of the side walls, showing a farmer enjoying a pint whilst his faithful sheepdog looks on (opening image). The wall also makes reference to the fact that the pub was once in the estate of Daniel Fielding & Son, who were based up the hill towards Queensbury at the White Castle Brewery on Green Lane.
I walked into a fairly busy pub, where several customers were sat watching the football that was showing on a number of TV screens. The side of the bar is straight ahead as you walk in, and faces into the room on the right. There are 4 hand pumps, with Saltaire Blonde and Theakstons Bitter regulars, plus a couple of guest ales. I ordered a pint of the Theakstons, which was on good form (NBSS 3), and sat at a table a short distance from the bar. It was quite a bright room and a number of balloons stuck on the wall suggested there had been some celebration or other recently. I went to the loo and noticed a pool table in the other room. People were kept coming in and exchanging greetings, there was a buzz of chatter around the bar, and on this admittedly short visit the Golden Fleece came over as a friendly village local.
My earlier visits to Bradshaw had come about as I have a friend who was brought up in the village, and whilst the family home is still here, he moved away to London many years ago. I used to sometimes join him on a visit to the Bradshaw Tavern, which had been the closest pub to the White Castle Brewery. Situated close to the village cricket ground, it had been a beerhouse since 1871. Whilst the beer when we went was nothing to write home about, they had a popular folk club on a Sunday which attracted a regular supply of top musicians. That said, I can't remember anybody in particular other than the excellent Steve Tilston that I saw there but it did fit in with a long-running Sunday evening routine of folk music and a few pints which was largely based at the Eagle Taven in Leeds. After those visits though, I never went to the Bradshaw Tavern again, and it finally closed as a pub in 2014.
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| The former Bradshaw Tavern |
The story of Daniel Fielding and Sons is typical of so many small, independent breweries over the years. The company had originally started out brewing at a site in Sowerby Bridge, then moved to premises in Ovenden before moving into the newly-built Green Lane site in 1884. Daniel Fielding and Son continued to brew and supply their beers from here until 1961, when the brewery and 19 pubs were acquired by the nearby and much bigger Samuel Webster & Sons of the Fountainhead Brewery. Several of the old brewery's buildings are still standing, having since been converted into housing.
Most of the brewery's pubs were situated within a few miles of the brewery, and included several I'd visited in the 1970's in their post-Fielding life such as the Moorcock and Withens Hotel at Wainstalls, the Mountain Eagle at Mountain, and the Bradshaw Tavern, all of which are now closed. The Moorcock was an interesting place in that it was a rare example of a pub that was located in a farmhouse on what was a working farm, whilst close by visitors came in great numbers to enjoy the spectacular long-range views over the sweeping moorland scenery at the Withens Hotel. At one time there was even a little zoo there which was a great attraction to the kids when they were little. Sadly though one day it caught fire and its period as a pub was gone for ever.
The Moorcock and the Withens are just a couple of examples of Pennine hill pubs that are no longer with us. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, not far away from Bradshaw at Keelham were the former Railway and Copper Kettle who used to face off at the crossroads. A few years I wrote about the Royal Oak at Delph, just over the border in Greater Manchester, which was a lovely pub set amongst fields and lanes high up in the Tame Valley, whose story resonates with those of so many rural pubs. Off the beaten track save for the odd walker and farmer, and therefore dependant on passing trade, and being a wet-only pub, the target audience was limited to start with. Many of the former farmers who would have frequented the Royal Oak have passed away or sold up, and the 4x4 commuters who bought up their properties were largely not easily tempted away from their home comforts. The Royal Oak was a wonderful, traditional, country pub, a step back in time, and it was a real shame when it finally closed its doors in 2020 and went the way of so many former countryside pubs.
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| The former Royal Oak, Delph |
The drive back the A62 from Delph over to Marsden emphasises this point. Rising up past the Delph & Dobcross Cricket Club - who true to their Yorkshire roots ply their trade in the Huddersfield League - you reach the former Horse & Jockey opposite the turn off to Uppermill. This former Oldham Breweries pub has been derelict for years, with trees growing out of the ruins. A little further on, as you approach Standedge, you pass the former Floating Light, which has been a house for years. And once you have crossed the border into official Yorkshire, you pass the former Great Western which until only a few years ago served excellent food alongside the real ale. The Carriage House on the right a little further on the road is still open, but has been a restaurant for years. There is another former pub on the left whose name I forget, which on the only occasion I called in was one of the most soulless places I have ever visited, but also close to Marsden was the wonderful Tunnel End Inn, which was situated near to the Standege Visitor Centre, was extremely popular with walkers and families, served decent food and was a rare outlet in these parts for Golden Globe from the now-closed Shaws Brewery in Dukinfield. And then, a few years ago it sadly and suddenly closed.
Back over in Calderdale, it has had its share of country pub closures, too. The Blue Ball at Soyland was always very popular and a real destination pub with great beer and a wonderful craic, situated on the hillside off the A58 Halifax to Rochdale road with great views over Baitings Reservoir. But then owner and landlord Tony Foster decided to retire and so the pub closed. Down the hill, over a couple of fields, was another popular pub, the New Inn, which also became a private house. There are many more throughout the area: the Blue Ball and New Rock at Norland, the Brown Cow at Scammonden, the Sportsman at Midgely, and further along the same road, the pub with arguably the best vista in Calderdale, and which subsequently became a B'n'B, was the Mount Skip high above Mytholmroyd, with views stretching for miles over the Calder Valley, Cragg Vale, and beyond. This was run by Taylors Brewery, and it was always a mystery to me as to why they sold it off, as it always seemed to be a popular spot.
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| The former Blue Ball, Soyland (Photo: Humphrey Bolton). |
There are plenty more country pubs that have closed over the years. A few soldier on, some successfully, usually though not always with food as their core offer. Some places have their own advantage, like the White Horse at Blackstone Edge, with regular traffic from both motorists and walkers, the Packhorse at Ridge - which did close for some time but has subsequently reopened, and the New Delight at Colden, with a regular flow of visitors particularly in the summer months as the Pennine Way passes close by all three pubs.
And so, whilst the Golden Fleece may not be as isolated as some of the afore-mentioned moorland pubs, it is nonetheless great to see a village pub that appears to be well-supported and thriving....
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