The Old Silent Inn at Stanbury is toasting success in a prestigious national award.

It has beaten off competition from around 450 other hostelries nationwide to take the national Pub of the Year title in a competition organised by Pimms and The Times newspaper.

It is the first time the award has gone to a Northern pub.

Owner Mark Narey told us: "This is a tremendous honour and we are absolutely delighted. It is recognition for the five years' hard work that has gone into developing the business."

Judges assessed each entrant on a wide range of qualities, from beer and food standards to the welcome given and friendliness of staff.

The moorland pub has been licensed since the 1820s and before that was an ale house and coaching inn for many years. It was originally known as the New Inn and later the Eagle before becoming the Old Silent.

The 400-year-old building is said to be haunted by at least one ghost. Licensee Joe Narey says: "One which seems to appear downstairs, mainly to women, is of a tall man wearing a big hat and old-fashioned long coat. One male customer claims to have sat up all night talking to the ghost of a young girl upstairs, and another said his keys had been moved from the floor to a mantelpiece while he slept."

Joe has been licensee for the last five years, but has never seen any of the ghosts himself.

Advertising feature, page 29

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