A bit of a mixed bag this time around with some thoughts on rural pubs and a visit to a classic example of one that is still flourishing, a visit to a local beer festival, and some further consideration on beer scoring. It is actually better than it sounds, so please feel free to read on....
There was a piece in the local paper the other day under the headline 'Characterful countryside Halifax pub which dates back to the 19th century for sale', which naturally piqued my interest. And where could it be, I wondered, as the numbers of countryside pubs within the Halifax area have declined significantly over the years. I read on. The listing on Rightmove stated that the popular countryside inn at Balkram Edge, Wainstalls, was for sale with an asking price of £450,000. Described as a 'characterful pub', with 7 letting rooms, a bar area and three separate seating or dining areas which can accommodate up to 90 people. And more bigging up: 'These are long established public house premises - a substantial destination site for a regular clientele drawn from a wide area with a reputation for quality catering and accommodation.' It is a place I know well, high on the hills at the edge of the village with sweeping views of the valley below and hills beyond, a regular spot for family get-togethers for many years where we would go for Sunday lunch. When the summer sun is out it is an excellent spot to sit out in the beer garden beside the car park, but in winter, when icy winds swirl around this aloof, solid stone sanctuary, it is time not to linger outside but enjoy the open fires within.
It would seem that the current owners are selling with the intention that the Crossroads remains open as a pub, which is good of course, and would seem to fit in with the recent announcement by the government that turning pubs into housing or offices resulting in the loss of a key community facility will be made harder as part of changes to government planning rules in England. And so, under these proposed changed to the legislation, in part prompted by the loss of the famous Crooked House pub in South Staffordshire which was set on fire and bulldozed in particularly dodgy circumstances in 2023, more stringent conditions will be imposed on those seeking to change the property's use. And so, in order to go ahead with a change of use under the new policy, potential developers and buyers will need to provide evidence that there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub business operating, and in addition they will need to include proof that that the pub has been actively marketed as a pub and up for sale for at least 12 months. And as any trawl back through the archives of the lost pubs of Calderdale and countless other areas of the country will attest, this is very much needed.
And so back to the Crossroads. Who are the current owners who have put this former Samuel Websters pub up for sale? Well, none other than Timothy Taylors, based a few miles away over the hill in Keighley. Unlike other pubs they used to run such as the Town Hall Tavern in Leeds and the Hare and Hounds at Old Town, near Hebden Bridge, which suddenly disappeared off the list of their pubs on their website, when I checked there over the weekend the Crossroads was still listed, but for one wonders for how long? And with Taylors' tied estate having reduced significantly in recent years, something I have written about before, all the signs are they are moving to a production-only business model. I may be wrong, but if I was the head of Taylors' pub division, I would be putting my CV about!
There are plenty of former pubs dotted around the hillsides and villages in the South Pennines that have been converted to homes over the years. Indeed in the same village where the the Crossroads is located, Wainstalls, there was until fairly recently another pub, the Delvers, which has been converted into a home. Two neighbouring pubs that I used to visit quite often when I was younger, the Blue Ball and the New Inn at Baitings, near Ripponden, were thriving free houses that both sadly closed down. I could go on but I am sure you can all think of your own examples. The same is true in urban communities of course, where former pubs have been converted into homes, shops, offices, or simply bulldozed to the ground make way for something new, resulting in a real loss to the community. But there is more likelihood of there being alternatives close by, But the loss of a rural pub may mean there are no alternatives for miles.
Yet here and there, there are some exceptions and indeed, some interesting ones. Not far away from the Crossroads in the small village of Mount Tabor there used to be a pub called the New Inn, located close to the terminus of Halifax Corporation's first motor bus service of 1912. For years it had been a Tetleys pub, then became a free house before closing, run down, and unloved. But all was not lost, as this former pub, which was originally the tap for the long-lost Aspinalls Brewery, has since been reopened as a community hub incorporating a farm shop, licensed café and restaurant. It opens 9 in the morning every day of the week and is open until 10 every day except for Sunday when it closes at 9pm. It offers an interesting concept which whilst not unique across the country (the CAMRA award-winning George & Dragon in the village of Hudswell in North Yorkshire springs to mind) shows what can be done to keep rural pubs alive. And it is somewhere I need to visit in its latest guise to check it out for myself.
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| Spring Head, Mount Tabor, near Halifax (Image: CAMRA) |
Over the other side of Halifax I recently visited a local country pub that has just carried on pretty much as it has been for years. The Dog & Partridge at Sowood, on the hills above Stainland, a large village to the south of Halifax, has been in the same family since 1956. The building itself dates from 1704 but a number of alterations were carried out shortly after the family that still owns the pub took over which shapes how it looks today. I had decided to visit the pub on a whim after not being there since I lived in Stainland for a short time in the early 2000s, and on a rare drive out for the blog I parked up the hill a short distance from the pub which gave me the opportunity to appreciate the wonderful countryside in which it sits.
I walked down to the pub. A car reversing in to the car park blocked my path, so I hung on to let it get sorted. The Dog & Partridge is a solid-looking building built out of the local Millstone Grit sandstone, like both the Crossroads and the Spring Head although, being situated in a slight hollow with more buildings nearby, it is probably a little less exposed than they are to the elements. I approached the entrance and stuck to the door was a sign which stated the opening hours, and that the pub accepts cash only.
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| Just so you know |
I walked in. It was about 1.15 on a Sunday afternoon. There was no jukebox, piped music, or TV, just conversation filling the air. The room with the bar was full, all seats taken with a happy crowd of folks who made me, at my advanced age, feel young! They clearly were regulars and judging by the half empty glasses and empty ones on the table had been here for a wee while. It was a friendly, welcoming atmosphere though, but I could sense people eyeing me up and thinking do we know you? My attention turned to the bar and getting a pint. The gentleman who served me, Frank Collins, is a sprightly 97-old who owns and runs the pub. I ordered a pint of cask which according to the pump clip was Perfect Quench from Escapade, but half way through pulling it he stopped and said "I need to change the barrel." So he headed off down the cellar, the steps down to the side of the bar. A few bangs and clunks, and footsteps back up from the cellar. Some beer was pulled through, then a pint was poured and served. £4.50, for which I handed over a fiver as per the sign on the door. No till, I noticed, just a little pot at the back of the bar, with my 50p change from a pile of cash. With no room in the main bar I took my pint of Farmers Blonde as it had changed to and moved on to the lounge to the side of the bar, which was empty when I walked in, settling in a chair at the end of a one of the two tables in the room which was shared with a piano, framed sets of Corgi vehicles, and various other ephemera.
Presently I was joined at my table by three friendly old guys, regulars on a Sunday they said, who always came at the same sort of time on a Sunday. There was a regular churn of visitors, they said, the 1 o'clock crowd would soon be gone and replaced by another group, and so on through the day. Another old guy came into the room to discuss some business or other with my new companions, shook my hand saying "Do I know you?". I didn't think so, I said, to which he replied "well, nice to meet you." The conversation turned to Frank. "Brilliant piano player" said one, adding mine host was due to appear on the Channel 4 programme The Piano soon playing pub favourites like Roll Out The Barrel on a piano at York Railway Station.
Frank, at 97 years old, is supposedly the oldest landlord in the country. Mind you, it must be in his genes, as his mum Mabel ran the pub from 1956 until 2000, passing away a year later at the age of 95. Frank, who'd helped his mum with the pub over the years duly took over at the age of 72, an age when most people have long since retired, and is still going strong today. I have to say it was quite a heart-warming experience to visit the Dog & Partridge after all these years and find a place that has hardly changed since my last visit in the early 2000s. It was like stepping back in time, and the pub. despite the age of so many who were there, was so vibrant with chatter and laughter. The pub is a great example of what the best rural pubs used to have: community, fellowship, and a refuge from the usual day to day trials and tribulations.
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| Frank Collins at the Dog & Partridge, Sowood |
Meanwhile I went to a beer festival last Friday. The Cross Keys at Siddal near Halifax was holding its traditional August event, although it was the first since Mike and Lisa Pedley took over the pub a few months ago. Beers available were from Yorkshire breweries such as Kirkstall, Little Critters, Craven, Black Sheep, and Skipton, but a major feature was a selection of ales from Cornish brewers Bluntrock, Padstow, and Tintagel, which were all being served from the long bar which had been set up under the marquee that covers most of the yard at the back of the pub.
I had gone to the festival with our Tom who used to live nearby which meant for a time we were regular visitors to the Cross Keys. And as we wandered through to the yard at the back I bumped into several familiar faces in what has always been a friendly and welcoming place. We decided to stick to the Cornish beers, as they were not what you would regularly see in the pubs of Calderdale. First up I had a half of St Lancelot, a 4.2% pale ale from Tintagel, who were established in 2009 in a former milking parlour at the highest farm in Cornwall using water from their own spring. It was light and refreshing with a low bitterness, bags of fruity flavour, with a big citrus hit on the nose. A good start. Next up was a beer from Bluntrock, who started out in 2021 in the village of St Minver based in four shipping containers. A second site was added in 2024 on a nearby industrial estate with brewing now taking place at both locations. I had come across Bluntrock before when we visited Truro last year with FC Halifax Town and the beer I'd drunk then, the 4.8% Gold, was on here, although I didn't get to try it on this visit. I went instead for the Big Tree, a 4.5% Cali Pale featuring a mix of US and New Zealand hops. It had a low bitterness and light body and was a rather pleasant and refreshing beer.
Music was being provided by a couple when we arrived, the lady playing sax which was a bit different to the normal stuff you get in pubs. A large dog was wandering around which every now and again would go and flop down on the stage, seemingly belonging to the musicians as a large rug had been provided for that purpose. Next up we sampled some beers from Padstow Brewery, which started up in 2013 in the town of the same name. I went for the Pale, a 3.5% with a malty, slightly smoky aroma, which was light and refreshing with a complex yet balanced bitter flavour. And then to finish before we had to rush off to catch the bus back to Halifax, it was another Padstow beer. Windjammer was a 4.3% copper ale with a spicy hoppy aroma, with a rich caramel and bready malt flavours leading to a smooth, nutty finish with hints of spices and dried fruit. It was a good beer on which to conclude what had been a very enjoyable visit to the Cross Keys.
And finally I have decided what to do with scoring the beers I sample during the course of pulling the blog together. As I said recently when CAMRA announced they were moving to a words-based rating scheme I was not too impressed with it, and so I had remained with their former numeric system. I have decided that I will build on that, but instead of scoring out of 5, I will give marks out of 10 which allows for more flexibility than the old method. So where a beer would have been a 4/5 I will now give it an 8 out of 10. Hopefully this will provide a clearer impression of the quality of the beer on offer. And so for now, I will draw things to a conclusion until next time....
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