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A Spring Day In Bingley....

Or to be more precise a couple of hours, as I took a morning train to this historic market town and former textile centre beside the River Aire a few miles north west of Bradford and checked in to a few of the local pubs and bars before footballing matters took over later in the day....


I arrived at Bingley's railway station just before 11.30 on a sunny Spring Saturday morning. I'd caught the 1043 train from Halifax to Bradford Interchange, then walked through the expansive newly-pedestrianised streets of the 2025 City of Culture to Forster Square Station, where I was just in time to board a Skipton-bound train before it began wending its way up the Aire Valley. This hadn't been the original plan, but when I arrived at Halifax station I found that the train I'd booked on, the 1038 to Leeds, had been cancelled due to a fault with the train (yawn). So I had to hastily re-plan my route, but the fact that I managed to get to Bingley almost 20 minutes earlier than the route Trainline had put me on was a cause for some satisfaction. Sort yourself out, Trainline!

I headed out of the station and walked up to the nearby Main Street, formerly the A650, which seemed to be as busy with traffic as it always used to be when I used to get round these parts more regularly, although nowadays a bypass takes passing traffic away from the town centre. With it being before 12, I had no real alternative but to visit the local Wetherspoons which, as luck would have it, was also one of the 4 places listed under Bingley in the 2025 CAMRA Good Beer Guide, and was a sort distance along the road, across the road from a busy Lidl. The Myrtle Grove is a relatively small, single room affair situated in a former cinema but, unlike other former picture houses like the Ritz in Lincoln or the Regal Moon in Rochdale which are both spectacular buildings, this is a very bland-looking affair. But despite its rather drab exterior, inside it was thriving, most of the tables were taken with many of the occupants enjoying a late breakfast. As an aside, looking at some of the plates the busy staff were bringing out in a steady stream from the kitchen, it seemed to be of a higher standard than many other Spoons I have visited. I managed to get served quite quickly and ordered a pint of Stainless from Stancill, which I took to an empty high table by the side of a couple of fruit machines. My beer was OK without being anything outstanding (NBSS 3), but I was only here for the tick. I did though book a little adventure for next month whilst I was sat here, which I hope will provide an opportunity to bring you a few places from an area I have never visited before.


I only had a couple of hours so I had to stick to my plans without too much deviation, and so I decided to go to the farthest of the pubs first. Not that it was too far away, being a short distance along Main Street and then at some traffic lights in the oldest part of the town I turned left and walked over the historic, Grade ll-listed Ireland Bridge, which crosses over the River Aire, to the second pub on my list. As well as the river passing through Bingley mention must also be made of the Leeds - Liverpool Canal which flows for 127 miles between the two cities. One of the canal's highlights is situated in Bingley, the Grade l listed Five Rise Locks, which climb a height of over 18 metres across a distance of 98 metres at a gradient of 1.5 and are the steepest flight of locks in the country. The locks opened in 1774 and were a remarkable engineering achievement for the time when the Industrial Revolution was beginning to take hold and transform the country. The opening of the canal assisted the growth of Bingley and the neighbouring towns in the late 18th and 19th centuries, which was further helped by the subsequent coming of the railways. Nowadays the railway still whisks commuters away every weekday morning to Leeds, Bradford, and elsewhere, whilst services also run through to Carlisle, Lancaster, and Morecambe. 

Bingley's Five Rise Locks

Meanwhile, back to the pub. Situated at the end of the bridge on a corner at the foot of a steep hill, which eventually takes you to the villages of Cullingworth, Wilsden, and Harden, is the Brown Cow, a Timothy Taylors tied house, which is quite appropriate as Mr Taylor himself, whilst opening his brewery in Keighley in 1858, lived in Bingley. There was another Taylors pub in the town until fairly recently but today the Ferrands Arms has been refurbished and modernised and now trades as the Market Square Tavern which reflects its location in the town centre. I had been here to the Brown Cow once or twice before, but my last visit must have been back in the 1980's. I can't remember too much about it from back then, but considering it was flooded in 2015 and subsequently refurbished, it is not really surprising. 


There was a bank of Taylors beers on the bar which I noticed included Northern Uprising, their excellent collaboration with Northern Monk which I tried a few months ago, but I don't know if this now a permanent member of the range. Instead of going for that though I went for a pint of Boltmaker, my usual benchmark when I visit a Taylors pub, which was served by one of the two girls working behind the bar, and I took it and went to sit at one of the tall tables opposite the bar. I was in the first room as you go in, whilst beyond was an additional room with plenty of tables for those who come here seeking food, which seems to be a big part of the offer. Outside, the Brown Cow has taken advantage of its riverside location by opening a large beer garden. I have to admit though that I found the pub a bit soulless and impersonal, what with the brewer's grey paint and a rather bland soundtrack although I suppose that reflects the kind of customer they get here. The beer though was at least worth going for (NBSS 3.5), although that should be - but isn't always - a given in a tied house.

Brown Cow, Bingley

I walked back over the bridge when I had finished my pint. I was in the oldest part of Bingley, and on a corner just below the traffic lights is the oldest pub and one of the oldest buildings in town, the white-walled Old White Horse Inn which is on the original cobbled main street. Like the Brown Cow, I had been here before but not for a long number of years, and as I was actually doing alright for time I decided to make an unscheduled stop here. It is a historic Grade ll-listed building with thick stone walls and low beamed ceilings, with dark wood furnishings adding to the historic atmosphere. It was obvious that the pub is very much geared to serving diners but I did spot a couple of hand pumps on the bar, and so I wandered over in their direction, prompting a guy in a white shirt who was leaning on the corner of the bar to head over there to serve me. The beer choice was typical of a chain pub group where the beer is not considered to be an important part of the offer. So courtesy of the Stonegate list we had a beer from Coach House in Warrington, and Purity Mad Goose originally from Warwickshire but potentially now brewed at Black Sheep's Masham brewery as both are now part of Keystone Leisure. I ordered a half of the Mad Goose and took it to a table in the corner that didn't appear to be ready to welcome any diners. The beer was thin and disappointing (NBSS 2.5), but if you are in Bingley this attractive pub is worth calling in just to appreciate its history.

Old White Horse Inn, Bingley

I finished my drink and turned left along Old Main Street and walked along towards the historic Grade ll-listed All Saints Church which dates back for at least 500 years, although there was probably an earlier building here from pre-Norman times. I turned off just before the church up a path to the current Main Street, looking back towards what was almost a semi-rural scene (opening image). I crossed over the main road by the fire station and headed back in to the town centre. Across to the left was one of the remaining mills in use in the town which is nowadays the UK headquarters of Damart, a French company which was established in 1953, its chimney a prominent local landmark. The brand became a household name in France and the UK initially for a material called Thermolactyl, which became well-known for its insulation qualities, but over the years the company, which operates as both a mail order  catalogue and online retailer has expanded to include fashion items for the seniors market, with around 650 of its worldwide workforce of 4,000 employed in Bingley and at a smaller site nearby at Steeton. I did actually had an interview with them at one point many years ago, although I can't remember what the job was and I didn't get it anyway.

A prominent Bingley landmark; the home of Damart

I walked past Chip N Ern, a micropub which has been in the Good Beer Guide for several years but as it doesn't open until 2pm on a Saturday I was unable to check how it was doing. When I had previously visited back in 2018 I had found it to be..."very nice"...with..."a comfortable wood-panelled downstairs room with a bar in the far corner as you go in. Upstairs there is another attractive room with additional seating". I'd also noted that..."the beer choice...was a tad disappointing"...but concluded my visit by saying..."Chip N Ern has the feel of somewhere well-established, and I suppose as it opened in 2015, it is something of a veteran in micro pub terms." It was disappointing that I couldn't call in to see if those comments were still relevant, but as it has been a Good Beer Guide fixture since then it suggests that it has at least maintained its position.

So no Chip N Ern on this visit but I did call in at one place I had visited last time when it was operating under different ownership and a different name. The former Foundry Hill, as it was when I last visited Bingley, has in the meantime become the Peacock Bar, making it a second site for the bar of the same name and owners which operates on North Parade in Bradford. Like its sister pub a few miles down the road, it combines a range of beers on both cask and tap with Indian street food, which apparently goes down very well. And with the original Peacock Bar being featured in David Jesudason's excellent book Desi Pubs: A guide to British-Indian Pubs, Food & Culture, it can also rightly claim to be Bingley's first desi pub.
 
And so what is a desi pub? It is basically one where the landlord is of Indian heritage and combines both British and Indian culture, with the word 'desi' loosely referring to 'mother country' and as such it aims to be welcoming to all, with British beer and Indian food a key part of the proposition. In David's book he visits and highlights 40 of the best across the country, many of them old boozers given a new lease of life, retaining much of their traditional character whilst attracting customers from both British and Indian heritage. And so in and amongst places called the Tamil Prince and V's Punjabi Grill, you will also find familiar names like the Prince of Wales and the Red Lion. On his visit to Bradford when he wrote about the Peacock, David found that it was "in many ways my ideal pub with a very mixed crowd,...food served on an ad hoc basis and decent affordable drinks. He describes how the most popular dish was spam pakoras, with other hybrid options like naan bread pizzas and spiced lamb chops alongside traditional Indian food. Having achieved a bucket-list pint of hand-pulled cask Tetleys in excellent condition, he then goes on to describe the friendliness of the owner, the locals, and the strong community focus. He left wanting to recommend the Peacock Bar to all types of people "I even think it's worth the trip from wherever you live"... going on to say that whilst it was snowing outside..."this is the warmest place in the country.

Now I didn't get to try any food here in Bingley, nor did anyone order any while I was here, but I did get the same sense of warmth and friendliness that David found in the Bradford pub. As I walked towards what is a basement bar and virtually opposite the station a lass was vaping in the doorway but she moved rapidly and went behind the bar in readiness for my order and apologised for not being there when I'd approached. There were 5 beers on hand pump plus some keg beers on offer, and being where I was I went for a beer from the local Bingley Brewery. Obsidian is a 4.8% strong pale ale which is brewed with Amarillo and Azacca hops and was on good form (NBSS 3.5). An older guy on his own walked in, ordered a half, and struck up conversation with a friendly bloke who had just emerged from the kitchen. One of the beers on the bar was a custard-themed beer from Knaresborough brewers Turning Point which is one of a series of three which also includes a rhubarb-inspired pale ale and a Caribbean stout. So. intrigued by the point of sale material on my table, I decided to get a half of the Yellow Matter Custard..


Well this was interesting! The flavour really took me back to the days when as a kid my mum would rustle up some Bird's Custard to go with the apple pie or treacle sponge. Bird's never added any alcohol to their custard powder as far as I am aware, but this was a boozy, custardy take on memories past. Whilst I wouldn't have wanted any more, I enjoyed my half (NBSS 3) as I chatted to the guys at the bar. We talked about Bradford City's promotion chances, the pubs in Halifax, potential mutual friends, and other bits and pieces. A trio of ladies came in, their well-manicured looks and hair suggesting they would be off on the next train to Leeds for a bottomless brunch at some anodyne wine bar. But no, whatever their plans were later, they stuck around and enjoyed their halves of cask. Which sort of makes the point about the place; friendly and welcoming to all with good beer, and some Indian street food available if required!

Peacock Bar, Bingley

Fortunately the Peacock Bar had a screen displaying the arrivals and departures from the station across the way. With the time approaching half one with my train due to leave shortly afterwards I bade farewell to this friendly pub and headed for the station, hoping there would be no ensuing delays as I had important business back in Halifax later in the afternoon....

Desi Pubs: A guide to British-Indian Pubs, Food & Culture by David Jesudason is available from www.camra.org.uk and all good bookshops

Follow me on twitter/X: @realalemusic

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