I've recently been to Selby in North Yorkshire, where in the shadow of the impressive abbey I found an interesting town with quiet streets and a decent number of pubs where I encountered some mysterious beer in and amongst the more familiar....
I have to admit Selby is not somewhere I have thought about visiting many times over the years. I have vague memories of driving over from Leeds with my mate Dave back in the 1980's a couple of times, our aim to win the supposed big jackpot up for grabs in a Sunday music quiz in one of the pubs, which I think was by the river. What it was called, I'm not sure, how big the jackpot was, who knows, but I am pretty sure I would have remembered if we'd won it.
That was a long time ago, but fast forward to last Saturday, I had decided to go for a look around and so caught the 10.17 train from Halifax, which dropped me off in Selby before continuing its onward journey to Hull. It was a bright sunny morning, and a few people were waiting around or buying tickets as I walked through the modest station building. Across the road was a town map on a board, so I got a rough idea of the area before setting off towards the town centre. Selby was traditionally within the old West Riding, and geographically lies in that odd tract of North Yorkshire that stretches south to keep West and East Yorkshire apart, and its origins stem from a settlement established here beside the River Ouse by the Vikings.
A few minutes later I was in sight of Selby Minster, the former Benedictine abbey which was founded in the mid-11th century by one Benedict of Auxerre, no less. Legend has it that Benedict had seen three swans on a lake in the area which he took to be a symbol of the Holy Trinity and so established an abbey here. And that is why the symbol of the abbey, and the town crest is of three swans. Whilst it lost the abbey status in 1539 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Wayne Rooney- lookalike Henry VIII, it is still one of the biggest churches in the country that is not a cathedral. I walked around the quiet little lane to the side of the minster and I spotted a blue plaque which referenced Henry Beauclerc. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders and was supposedly born in the area in 1068, later to be crowned as Henry 1, ruling the country from 1100 to 1135. Selby was certainly flexing its historical muscles and I'd only just landed! Over the years the town's growth was helped by the River Ouse being tidal nearly to York, and along with the Selby canal brought a lot of trade to the town. Shipbuilding was once a big industry here and for a time the Selby Coalfield produced more coal than anywhere in the country. Today this town of around 20,000, now with the old industries gone and the by-pass drawing traffic from the A19 trunk road which passes through the middle of the town, remains as a quiet home to commuters to places like Leeds, York, and Hull, and a tourist destination.
I walked out into a large square in front of the Minster entrance, and came across the large white building which housed the George Hotel, which was obviously open due to a large number of people sat outside with drinks, and so at 11.50 I walked in to a refurbished former coaching inn with standard bigpubco furnishings and token local photos, and polished, efficient, and polite staff behind the bar. From a rather uninspiring choice on the three hand pumps, I ordered a pint of the Wainwright Amber, which I took with me to enjoy in the secluded beer garden out the back, where the top of the Minster could still be seen. The beer was pretty impressive, a malty and tasty traditional beer which I felt was worth a 3.5 on the National Beer Scoring System scale. So a surprisingly strong start to the day.
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| The George, set back in Selby's market square in sight of the Minster |
Diagonally across the square from the George was the second pub on my list. The Cricketers is a Sam Smiths pub with a deceptively small but attractive wooden frontage behind which it goes back a long way from the street. The bar is on the right-hand side just along from the entrance, whilst wood-panelling, various alcoves, and old photos give the place some character. Being a Sam's pub, there is no jukebox or TV, and phone use is not permitted, so you had to chat like the group on the next table to me, a couple of retired miners with their wives, or read a paper like I did. The only cask beer ever on offer in a Sam's house is Old Brewery Bitter, fermented in stone Yorkshire squares using the same yeast strain since the 1800s. The result is a 4% beer with a distinct malty character with hints of toffee and a dry finish. Here also the beer was in excellent condition, another NBSS 3.5, but slightly edging the George. I noticed that the 4 pump clips for OBB on the bar were a design I'd not seen before, like a mini barrel-end. Mindful of the no-digital rule I asked the landlord as I was leaving if I could take a picture as I'd not seen them before, and he said absolutely no problem - well, if you don't ask, you don't get! Sam Smiths often get a bad press, but places like the Cricketers, the Bluebell in Levenshulme, and the Colpitts in Durham are excellent pubs that are up there with the best in their area.
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| The Cricketers, Selby |
It wasn't too far to the next pub on the list. Doghouse, situated close to the Minster in the middle of a Georgian terrace on Park Street, is according to CAMRA "Selby's first craft beer café featuring five cask beers, together with four ciders and a large range of craft keg beers." It features beers from their own brewery, Little Black Dog, who are based a few miles away in Carlton near Goole. There is a pleasant little garden out front, and from the entry corridor, the bar is in the room to the left, stretching around two walls. However, the friendly lad told me they also brew their own beers out back which didn't really sink in at the time, and I went for one called Ale Busters Golden Ale, a 3.9% gold-hued beer which was pleasant but a little grainy (NBSS 3). But as to whether it was brewed in-house by Rythmn & Brews, by Little Black Dog, or whoever, on reflection I don't honestly know! I went to sit in the room beyond the bar which was featured song lyrics on the walls and ceilings like the Doghouse in Castleford, and enjoyed the vibe in this quirky bar.
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| The Doghouse: quirky bar with mystery beer.... |
It was then the longest trek of the afternoon involving crossing over the River Ouse by the swing bridge which in the pre-bypass days when there was more river traffic used to be something of a bottleneck. I followed the main road and just less than 10 minutes later I came to the Olympia Hotel, a brick building with an upper mock-Tudor facade set back slightly from the road as it approaches a gentle corner on Barlby Road. I walked in to a sprawling pub with a large central bar which was fairly simply decorated, but with plenty of England flags and bunting on display in deference to the ongoing Euros. A chatty guy in shorts and singlet joshed with the lass behind the bar when she appeared from the beer garden out back, him and his wife sharing their laughs with me. When it was my turn I ordered a pint of one of the three beers available on hand pump, Selby Blonde from Jolly Sailor, whose brewery is at the back of the pub. I was encouraged to go out and enjoy the beer garden but I stayed inside in the shade, quite warm after my walk in the strong sunshine, and watched some of the football. My 3.8% pale blonde beer was pretty good (NBSS 3), and the pub itself, whilst very much catering for the local community, was very welcoming. Incidentally, the beer garden is large, and if you fancy a stopover, there are 8 rooms to let.
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| Olympia Hotel, Selby |
I retraced my steps back towards the river. Across the road from the old toll booth was a sign welcoming you to Selby. Here you were presented with a bluffer's guide to the town: on display was the crest of arms featuring the three swans, its twin towns - Carentan (in Normandy, France) and Filderstadt (in Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany) - whilst a separate sign below revealed that Market Day is a Monday.
I had walked past a closed pub when I had first arrived in the town, but when I retraced my steps the Three Swans (that motif again!) was most definitely open. Based in a tall and striking brick building a short distance from the river, the pub looks like it has been around for a while. I entered what was a quiet pub with just a few locals clustered around the bar, with racing as opposed to football showing on several TVs dotted around the pub's single room. The CAMRA app had teased to say that up to 5 cask beers were on, but when I walked in there were only three hand pumps in operation, and the guy behind the bar said when I ordered a half a Pennine beer he said it was the only one of the three he'd pulled all day. The beer - a 4% pale - was pleasant but unremarkable (NBSS 2.5), but I was unable to spot its full name due to the scrum at the bar.
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| Three Swans, Selby |
I had time to visit one more place before I caught my train back to Halifax. A short walk away from the Three Swans was No 1 The Crescent, a wine bar and bistro run by Old Mill brewery from nearby Snaith. The style is contemporary although in actual fact it is one of the oldest pubs in Selby, with a full-length glass window on the front of the building. Inside exposed brickwork, polished wood flooring, and modern-style furnishings added to the contemporary feel. The bar was right at the back of the room where the staff were congregated, including an older guy who I needed to ask for a top up so that my Blonde Bombshell was more like the pint I'd requested than a half! I found a table to sit at around the middle of the room, resisting the urge to sit on one of the two swings suspended from the ceiling. The beer, a 4% blonde as the name suggests, was OK but a bit thin and lacking in character (NBSS 2.5), a bit like the place itself where a mediocre middle of the road soundtrack was playing a little too loudly. A group of three girls came in and ordered a bottle of wine each, which matey promptly delivered along with three glasses but no ice bucket. On a warm afternoon it was a glaring omission and summed up the whole casual attitude and approach of the place. Despite my negative vibes I did order another half as I had a little time to kill, which at least was poured as a half by the girl behind the bar, and the beer, another Old Mill pale, the 4.2% Styrian Wolf, had more character and flavour (NBSS 3) than the pint I'd had first. It was though a rather disappointing place in which to conclude my visit to the town.
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| No 1 The Crescent |
I wandered back out in to the sunshine and made my way back to the station, where I only had a few minutes to wait for the train. Overall I'd had a most enjoyable afternoon in what was essentially new ground for me, with several decent pubs in the town even if I didn't know what the beers were all the time! I do think that Selby probably gets somewhat overlooked and suffers because of its proximity to York, but there is plenty here in terms of history and other points of interest to more than justify a visit to the town in its own right. And with it being just over an hour on a direct train service from Halifax there is every possibility I will make a return visit here in the not too distant future....
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