Historic Bingley pub gets major makeover (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Historic Bingley pub gets major makeover
7:00am Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News
Exclusive By Kathie Griffiths, T&A Reporter
New leaseholder Roy Davison outside the Old White Horse pub in Bingley
A historic Bingley pub re-opens tomorrow in the safe hands of a former Home Office security and counter terrorism advisor.
Roy Davison, who helped draw up security plans for the Olympics, has just taken on a 20-year lease of the town’s 16th century coaching inn – The White Horse.
Mr Davison, 31, and his partner Matt Halliday, who will co-run the lease, also have a lease of The Fisherman’s Inn in Wagon Lane with pub chain company Enterprise Inns.
The pub in cobbled Old Market Street has been shut for three months for a £100,000 make-over, said Mr Davison whose roots are in Saltaire and says running a pub was always his dream job.
Mr Halliday, who has also just given up a top job as chief executive of a LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans-Gender) charity London Friend, will join him soon and has links to the area too because he comes from Keighley .
Mr Davison said The White Horse was in “a bit of a sorry state” before he took it over but now it was up to modern standards while keeping its listed building charm. The building is believed to have been founded by the Knights Templar in the 1700s.
He said: “It’s definitely not going to be yet another olde worlde pub doing a carvery.
“There’s going to be pizzas and tapas made right here.
“It’s going to be like a city bar which means people won’t have to leave Bingley to get what they can only find in Leeds.
“Stay here and they won’t have to catch the last train home. We’re going to help keep business on the doorstep.”
The pub has been painted in heritage colours, the flag-stone flooring has been acid cleaned and the old beams brought back to their original colour but furniture wise it will be “a bit retro, a bit chic” said Mr Davison. He said: “We’re very excited about the grand-opening. We’re making the most of social media and have invited all our friends on Twitter and Facebook.”
The pub opens to the public on Friday after tomorrow night’s opening by Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe and Bradford restaurant boss Omar Khan, who recently saved Bradford Bulls.
Comments(16)
MattLondon
says...
10:23am Wed 19 Sep 12
MontyLeMar wrote:Thanks for your comments Monty - really appreciated.
Glad to see this historic pub is getting a new lease of life. I hope Mr Davison has got a water tight contract with those sharks at Enterprise because I want to see this succeed and not just end up with yet another dispirited and broke former tenant. No mention of real ale though so sounds like it is becoming a cocktail bar. Ah well, should be interesting and there is always the Brown Cow over the bridge for good ale.
And for confirmation we've installed brand new hand pulls and will have 2 house ales (a Saltaire and Leeds Brewery) as well as 4 other rotating guests ales. We're certainly not a cocktail bar - though we will be the best place in the area to get a cocktail.
That should keep you busy :)
Tell_Titus
says...
10:59am Wed 19 Sep 12
Good luck to you both.
Get back to work
says...
11:27am Wed 19 Sep 12
Tell_Titus wrote:Thats so true , i know somebody interested in re opening a closed pub in Bradford city centre , but the agent wont even return his calls. Just gets the same answer some one will call you back. Make no wonder the city has died a death when its almost impossible to rent a property and get a business up and running, contributing to employment and the economy and the growth of Bradford.
It's always good to hear of a pub opening. All too many are disappearing from our communities.
Good luck to you both.
bobbyo
says...
1:31pm Wed 19 Sep 12
springmount
says...
1:46pm Wed 19 Sep 12
proper reporting by the T&A, what rubbish, yet again, the last of the Knights Templar leaders were arrested and tried around 1320ish, those that weren't were absorbed into other orders, but 400 years after they dissolved, they built the White Horse eh, incompetent reporting, a ten year old could find correct facts on a PC in 1 minute.
By the way, do not think we need another "bar" in Bingley, a proper pub with pub bands would be better received, believe me, I've drank in Bingley for 30 years, already several "bars" in town, but that's just my opinion
basil fawlty
says...
2:03pm Wed 19 Sep 12
MattLondon wrote:Great to see there will be a good selection of ale on, so I'll defeinitely put Bingley back on my places to visit for a night out. Cheers and good luck
MontyLeMar wrote: Glad to see this historic pub is getting a new lease of life. I hope Mr Davison has got a water tight contract with those sharks at Enterprise because I want to see this succeed and not just end up with yet another dispirited and broke former tenant. No mention of real ale though so sounds like it is becoming a cocktail bar. Ah well, should be interesting and there is always the Brown Cow over the bridge for good ale.Thanks for your comments Monty - really appreciated. And for confirmation we've installed brand new hand pulls and will have 2 house ales (a Saltaire and Leeds Brewery) as well as 4 other rotating guests ales. We're certainly not a cocktail bar - though we will be the best place in the area to get a cocktail. That should keep you busy :)
bingleyboy
says...
3:09pm Wed 19 Sep 12
H@Congs
says...
12:01am Thu 20 Sep 12
PS.
Where was my opening invite ;-(
MattLondon
says...
10:15am Thu 20 Sep 12
springmount wrote:We hope you'll give us the benefit of the doubt :)
"The building is believed to have been founded by the Knights Templar in the 1700s."
proper reporting by the T&A, what rubbish, yet again, the last of the Knights Templar leaders were arrested and tried around 1320ish, those that weren't were absorbed into other orders, but 400 years after they dissolved, they built the White Horse eh, incompetent reporting, a ten year old could find correct facts on a PC in 1 minute.
By the way, do not think we need another "bar" in Bingley, a proper pub with pub bands would be better received, believe me, I've drank in Bingley for 30 years, already several "bars" in town, but that's just my opinion
MattLondon
says...
10:16am Thu 20 Sep 12
H@Congs wrote:CONGS!! Your tickets are always behind the Fisherman bar. Right next to the score book you guys leave every week :)
Looking forward to enjoying a Saturday night in the best pub in town, good luck boys. Love what you've done with the Fish, Cricket club will be spoilt for choice.
PS.
Where was my opening invite ;-(
springmount
says...
10:53am Thu 20 Sep 12
thog01274
says...
2:41pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Mik_e
says...
3:46pm Fri 21 Sep 12
aledrinker
says...
11:51am Sat 22 Sep 12
s drinkers. As a real ale drinker, this is not the pub (bar?!) for me. Plenty of good ales to be found in Bingley for decent prices: Spoons, Off The Tap, Brown Cow...
springmount
says...
1:20pm Sat 22 Sep 12
aledrinker wrote:Leeds bar with Leeds prices, eh!, knew it, wont last, we are historically a small industrial town, with beer drinkers, look at the Ferrands, years ago a proper place to have a pint, went in other week on a friday evening, 6 people in there, it was dead, I walked down the road to the fleece, jumping it was, chocker, plenty of money going over the bar, what market research was done before the idea?, thanks aledrinker, wont waste my time & money with a visit now, cheers :)
Went in last night. Found it a bit of an anticlimax after having heard so much about the reopening. A big yellow skip parked outside is the first thing you see (clever work from the T&A photographer by the way), and inside, although The Horse needed that refurb, the decor clashes with the style of the building. Pleased with the choice of ales, but not with the price. Not a pint below £3. Leeds style bar: good idea, Leeds prices: bad move. I think the demographic will be more lager/cocktails/shot s drinkers. As a real ale drinker, this is not the pub (bar?!) for me. Plenty of good ales to be found in Bingley for decent prices: Spoons, Off The Tap, Brown Cow...
MontyLeMar says...
10:16am Wed 19 Sep 12