A Saturday afternoon wander around the centre of Leeds taking in some familiar old haunts and more recent additions to the city's drinking establishments....
I went to Leeds the other day for a close season catch up over a few beers with some of the lads I go to football with. A trip to Leeds is not unusual for me, but for some of my companions it was a rare visit to a city which for all of us is less than 20 miles from home. And it set me off thinking back to when I lived in the city in the 1980s as a newcomer and how different the pub scene in the city was then was compared to now.
We visited 5 different places over the course of a few hours, all of them pretty close to the railway station. Of these, only two had been around in the 1980s, the other three having appeared at different points within the last 15 years or so. The Leeds real ale scene back then was dominated by the locally-brewed Tetleys with aromas from the brewery regularly wafting across the city. That said, in terms of pubs that sold real ale, the city centre also home to the odd Sam Smiths pub (as is the case today), a Youngers pub (as Whitelocks was back then), and the occasional free house such as the CAMRA-run Eagle on North Street, which was joined in the late 80s by the Duck & Drake when it became part of Jim Wright's TFC Alehouses group. There were also plenty of other places that were keg only in the city centre, selling beers from the likes of Whitbread and Websters, as well as keg Tetleys. Just out of the centre though, areas such as Hunslet, Beeston, Holbeck, and Cross Green were home to hard-drinking pubs such as the Garden Gate, the Brassmoulders, the Blooming Rose, and the Bridgefield serving pint after pint of hand-pumped Tetleys to slake the thirst of the communities who worked in the industries that dominated the area back then, and more than likely lived in the tightly-packed redbrick terraced houses or flats close by.
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| The now-closed Garden Gate in Hunslet |
There has been much debate and discussion recently about the state of the Leeds beer drinking scene today, much of it prompted by an excellent article in pellicle magazine which suggested that it isn't as interesting and varied as say Manchester and Sheffield. Part of this, the argument went, is due to the presence of an elephant in the room in the form of Kirkstall Brewery, which whilst doing some great things for Leeds such as rescuing and restoring great historical pubs like the Cardigan Arms and the Victoria & Commercial (the latter in conjunction with the guys who run Whitelocks these days), and keeping other beer brands alive, such as Leeds Brewery, their influence has limited the city's beer choice. The dilemma with this argument as readily referred to in the article is of course that Kirkstall do also produce some very good beer of consistent quality. My take on it all is that it is a valid viewpoint. and you certainly do see plenty of Kirkstall in many of the city's pubs and bars, but on our visit last Saturday I only had Kirkstall once and that was because I preferred it to the other options available in that particular pub. And putting it into perspective, there is definitely a wider variety in the beers available now in Leeds than there was 20 years ago, let alone 40 years ago when Tetleys held sway.
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| Kirkstall Brewery, Leeds |
So back to Saturday's trip. We met in Tapped Leeds on Boar Lane, less than 5 minutes' walk from the railway station, which is based in a modern building with large fully-opening glass windows. Opening in 2013, his is part of the small group of pubs run by York-based drinks distributor which includes the Taps at Sheffield, York, and Harrogate stations, and the Newcastle Tap which like the Leeds one is a short distance away. It has its own in-house brewery whose gleaming tanks run down the side of one wall, although no real ale is brewed here, all the Tapped cask beers being brewed at the main site in Sheffield. There is normally a good choice across a variety of styles from up to 8 beers here on cask, all served using gravity dispense from taps in the wall at the back of the bar, with a similarly good range available on keg. Another big attraction here are the freshly-baked pizzas, although with it being around 2pm when we arrived they weren't on the agenda for the hour or so we were there. Beer-wise, across the group we went for several different ones from the options available, me going for a pint of Boddingtons which seems to be pretty widely available these days since its re-launch last September. I do find it varies quite a bit and although this certainly wasn't the worst example I have come across, I have had better, it was just tasting a little tired I thought (NBSS 3). With a couple of the lads still to arrive, we had time for another pint, and so this time I went for a NZ Pale from Two by Two, which I had held back from because of its 5.1% ABV, but it certainly had plenty of fruity flavours and its easy-drinking softness defied its strength (NBSS 3.5). Tapped was a good meeting point, and as usual was well worth calling in.
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| Tapped Leeds, a bar with a brewery |
It was just across the road to the next pub. Situated on the corner of Boar Lane and Mill Hill, the imposing Bankers Cat looks as if it has been a pub for years, although it only opened a few months before lockdown in 2019, having been a bank for many years, although apparently when it was built in the 1870's it was originally a pub called the Saracen's Head. It is a joint venture between Thornbridge and Pivovar (them again!) who also worked together on the similarly-excellent Market Cat in York. It has been superbly restored as a traditional-looking pub with an island bar counter, lots of wood panelling, and several separate seating areas, including several booths. Downstairs there is further seating and a pool table in what was the old vaults. Quirky paintings of cats in formal dress as if they were former bank managers line the stairs bringing a touch of humour to the place. Not surprisingly it has become one of the best pubs in the city centre, with friendly knowledgeable staff and beers from Thornbridge and guests from elsewhere. It is somewhere I call regularly these days, but it is normally during the week when it doesn't get too busy, early evenings at any rate. But as I had found a few weeks ago after a shortened day's cricket at Headingley, it does get busy on a Saturday and there was no room at the inn, the guy on the door refusing us entry as the pub was full. Today, though at around 3pm, whilst it was busy, our group of 8 got in with no problems. The beer here I went for was a 4.6% pale beer from Thornbridge called Long Days, a blonde summer ale which in the brewery's words "is a toast to the long, sun-drenched days of the season. Light and refreshingly crisp, it showcases zesty lemon upfront, balanced by a delicate floral undertone that adds a great depth." It is apparently the brewery's special for June, and was very good (NBSS 3.5).
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| Bankers Cat, Leeds |
Next up it was just another short walk to our third pub of the afternoon. The Scarbrough Hotel, better known colloquially in Leeds as the Scarbrough Taps, has been a fixture on the local scene since the 1820s, taking its name from the first landlord, Henry Scarbrough, and not the seaside resort which has a slightly different spelling. It is a place I have visited regularly over the years. Back in the 1980s this was a Tetleys tied house and drew in a lot of customers with the quality of its beer and its proximity to the railway station, the quickest route there being via a dingy, piss-smelling stairway opposite the pub. The area in front of the pub at the moment is, like the station concourse itself, going through some major refurbishment with the long-closed steps gone and due to be replaced as part of a grand entrance to the station when it finally opens. The Taps meanwhile, with its beautiful tiled frontage and attractive interior, is Grade II-listed. The locally-brewed Tetleys that I used to drink here regularly is long gone and nowadays the Taps is owned by the Mitchells & Butlers-owned Nicholsons chain, but still remains very popular, drawing in a real mix of customers, and continues to be a Good Beer Guide regular. It was here that I had my solitary pint of Kirkstall of the afternoon, a pint of the pretty reliable Three Swords which I have to say was in good form (NBSS 3.5). The alternatives for those of us who were drinking cask were a number of Taylors beers, Black Sheep Bitter, and Nicholsons Pale Ale, which is brewed by St Austell, a fairly conservative selection as you find in Nicholsons pubs. But it is always a good place to call in for a pint and it maintained the high standard of the afternoon.
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| The Scarbrough Taps, with assorted building works |
Our glasses were emptying, and we discussed where to go next, with plenty of options close by. Someone suggested we visited the Grove, a few minutes walk away on the other side of the Dark Arches and on the other side of the River Aire, not far from the ASDA head office. And so we set off to this traditional free house which was the only other pub we visited today that had been around when I lived in Leeds.
The Grove (opening image) is a real Leeds institution. Situated amongst the office blocks and swanky apartments in the suburb of Holbeck, and in the shadow of the towering 112 metre (367ft) high Bridgewater Place, this solid-looking white-painted pub is somewhat at odds with its surroundings. With all the development that has taken place in Leeds over the years and which continues at pace, it is remarkable that The Grove is still standing. But like the Adelphi not far way, it has managed to survive, and indeed thrive, and to step inside is to be taken back to a different time. The pub was built around 1830 and catered for both the workers from the many mills that had grown up in the area and the residents of the then densely-populated terraced streets nearby. It has a pretty traditional design, although much of it came from a re-working by then owners John Smith’s in the late 1920's, with several changes including adding the rear concert room which has become a major part of the pub's attraction. As a reminder of their tenure, the sign on the front of the pub still refers to John Smith's Magnet Ales & Stouts, although it is many years since they were involved here.
Over the years of both living and working in Leeds I went in the Grove often enough to appreciate this honest, back-street pub which continues to attract a loyal band of regulars, beer lovers, students, and music fans who are drawn to the regular live music. It was busy today as we walked in to a traditional drinking corridor with much tiling and wood panelling in evidence. Mirrors and a board listing the cask beers were on the right-hand wall with the bar on the left. It is very much how I remembered it being from when I first visited all those years ago. There is a large taproom to the left with a dartboard and with the largest extent of the bar space, whilst a couple of rooms are off to the right, a tiny snug, and a slightly larger room, both of which are traditionally furnished. At the end of the corridor is the concert room, and there is a door leading to an outside area to the side of the pub.
We surveyed the beer options. There are 8 beers on cask, showcasing Yorkshire breweries, with Daleside Blonde, Taylors Boltmaker, and Ilkley Mary Jane on regularly, and 5 guests. It was one of the guests that several of us went for, Abbeydale's easy-drinking 4.1% Deception pale ale which was in excellent condition (NBSS 3.5), and one of the best pints we'd had all afternoon. We piled into the tiny room across from the bar which certainly was snug with 8 of us in there.
I only stuck my head in the concert room today, but I had been in before and had a proper look. Music is normally on 6 days a week and covers a wide range of genres. Folk music has always been a big attraction here and indeed there is a folk club based here that has been on the go since 1962, making it one of the oldest in the area. The room truly is a shrine to music, with a small stage, photographs and airbrushed murals of various musicians on the wall, although I doubt if some of those pictured have played here! One that did though was Mark Knopfler who played here in his pre-Dire Straits days, whilst I spotted several familiar faces that I have seen play elsewhere. Like the rest of the pub, the room retains a traditional look, with a large mirror on one wall and sympathetic lighting, fixtures, and fittings. The room does seem to have a special atmosphere; last time I went in I could almost imagine sitting in there, closing my eyes, and hearing the jangle of a distant guitar or faint voices joining in on some ghostly refrain....
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| The atmospheric music room at the Grove |
The sound of a guitar filled the air, and it turned out there was a band playing outside. There was a stage set up and a large people were sat or stood watching, glasses in hand. And the band were very good, a covers band called the Creedence Clearwater Revival Revival. They got the vocals just right, the guitar was spot on as the played some of the classic Southern blues rock tunes made famous by the originals such as I heard it through the Grapevine and Born on the Bayou. We stayed for another pint, and I could quite happily have stayed longer, but one or two of the lads fancied a change. For me though, this was the highlight of the afternoon - great beer, excellent music, a wonderful atmosphere, and a fantastic traditional pub.
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| Real ale, real music at the Grove |
We moved on for what, for me at any rate, was the final pub of the afternoon. This was something of a comedown if I'm totally honest, although I couldn't fault the beer quality. We went back towards the station and called at the Hop, an Ossett pub situated within two railway arches at Granary Wharf. It is a large modern bar with exposed brickwork and music-inspired murals as part of the decor. The large bar offers a choice of 6 regular beers from the Ossett stable and a couple of changing beers on cask, plus a several beers from the sister Salt brewery on keg. The bar regularly features live music and DJ sets, and has plenty of space ranging from comfortable seating areas and high tables with room for those who want to stand. My pint of White Rat was very good (NBSS 3.5), but overall in my opinion there are many better places to go for a drink in Leeds.
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| The Hop |
And with that I decided to make my way back to the station and head off home, whilst some of the others decided to carry on a little longer. It had been a most enjoyable afternoon in Leeds, taking in some of the city's long-standing establishments along with some of the more recent additions....
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