Jacob's Well in Bradford city centre is T&A Pub of the Week

Known as Bradford’s oldest beer house, the building was licensed as such in 1832 and could only sell beer rather than spirits or wines.

“That’s a status we retained until the late 1970s when beer house licences were abolished,” says Daniel Horsman, who has owned the Kent Street pub since 2018, having worked there for nine years previously.

Jacob's Well pub is full of character

Full of rustic charm, the inn - our Telegraph & Argus Pub of the Week - was originally four back-to-back houses built in the early 1800s, part of umpteen rows of terraces, all long gone.

“It’s history is evident inside - upstairs there is a window between rooms that used to let light into a stairwell,” says Daniel.

The name - a nod to the famous biblical well in the West Bank - stems from an early landlord with the surname Jacobs, who ran the inn at a time when a well in the cellar was used to draw water sold by the bucket.

“I would love one day to open it up and start brewing our own ale using the water in the process,” says Daniel.

The pub has a good range of beer

Pump heads on the bar

In the winter real fires blaze in the snug and main room. “Our customers, many of whom are long-standing, say it is a wonderfully cosy place to spent time,” says Daniel.

“We've kept things traditional wherever we can and have recently added an Edwardian upright piano. We like to maintain and celebrate the original ambience.”

The pub has a wide selection of real ales and ciders - it won Yorkshire Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Cider Pub of the Year in 2022.

“We have a strong focus on real cider, with more than ten available, sourced from local producers including Bradford's own Grumpy John’s. We are proud of our relationships with local breweries,” adds Daniel. “Our house beers are Dark Masquerade Mild from East Yorkshire's Half Moon, Abbeydale Deception from Sheffield and Bright Day, a beer created and brewed exclusively for us by Nigel at Sunbeam in Leeds.”

The pub was runner-up in this year’s Camra Bradford branch Pub of the Year for central Bradford.

Jacob’s Well is renowned for its pies, especially its pork pies, made on site by cook Chris Hall. “They are made to a generations-old recipe,” says Daniel.

“We also have a wide range of locally-sourced fillings, both traditional and eccentric, with veggies and vegans always well catered for.

One of the pub's famous pies: chilli con carne

A seasonal message on a chicken and chorizo pie

“They're cooked fresh to order so it isn't fast food but they're well worth waiting for. They are an ideal accompaniment to your pint.”

It’s a great location, says Daniel. “It’s just yards from City Park; we're near Bradford Interchange so you can enjoy a pint while you wait for a train or bus, and we are a perfect meeting place for people visiting the National Science and Media Museum, watching a show at the Alhambra, a gig at St George’s or the soon-to-open Bradford Live.”

“Although we're in the city centre there's definitely a strong community around Jacobs; we've been described as a country pub in the heart of the city which I think sums us up well. Our regulars include office workers, teachers and students. Being so central we are also the Bradford local for many people whose work takes them across the country.”

Outside, tables sit on the original cobbles of Kent Street. “It’s a real sun trap on warm days,” says Daniel. “We've recently begun growing herbs between the tables to use in the kitchen - they smell amazing on a summer evening.”

*Jacob’s Well, 14 Kent Street, Bradford BD1 5R; jacobs-well.co.uk