|
TRANSFORMATION OF THE FORMER ROSE AND CROWN
- Pub and restaurant set to launch on Saturday 4th April 2015
Methley is set for the launch of a brand new independent pub and restaurant to be located on the site of the former Rose and Crown pub. Situated in a picturesque setting opposite the Methley Cricket groun d, The Boundary House pub and restaurant will be unveiled on Saturday 4th April.
A full and extensive renovation is being carried out to the interior and exterior of the historical building in order to transform the former brewery-owned public house. The pub and restaurant will be situated downstairs and there are also plans for a stunning private function room overlooking the cricket field to be opened in early Autumn. Whilst the beer garden will be open this summer, there are exciting plans to further develop the garden in the future.
Two local businessmen and friends from neighbouring Oulton, Jonathan Parkinson and Christopher Edwards acquired the property from Enterprise Inns back in October 2014 with the vision to completely transform the struggling pub and create a quality pub and restaurant for locals and visitors to enjoy. The Boundary House will serve a range of craft beers and local ales in the main bar area whilst the pub’s restaurant will offer a menu of excellent pub food. The Boundary House’s head chef Mitchell Ward has previously worked at the acclaimed Beckford Arms in Tisbury, Wiltshire with head chef Mark Blatchford and The Anchor in Walberswich, Suffolk with head chef Andy Storer. He has a passion for high-quality pub food as well as being a talented baker.
The Boundary House restaurant and bar menu will be announced in March on the website
www.theboundaryhousemethley.co.uk and on Facebook www.facebook.com/the-boundary-house.
|
|
January 2009 - Rumours abound at the possible closure of that once so important so cial centre of this village - The Top Club. It would be difficult to describe how significant this place and its officials have been in past times. In the 1940’s and 50’s I seem to remember there was a waiting list for membership. If you wanted to get in at the week-end then make sure you weren’t late, to see the latest cabaret in clubland. The club has been the backbone of so much activity and social intercourse in this village and deserves a better fate than ignominious closure. Can’t blame the current officials, they have struggled hard for some years now but against the tide of other attractions and competition for drinks from supermarkets like so many other licensed premises in this country they are having to consider the future. It’s really down to the villagers if you don’t want to lose it - then use it.
They’re fighting back. A statement in the Methley Messenger reports that the club is still open for business and will carry on as usual until the new building is completed. The article ad vertises all the forthcoming events including regular weekly functions. Lets wish them every success.
May 2013 Well its open, and furnished to a very high standard with surprisingly more room than is indicated from the outside. A short visit to taste what’s on sale indicated all Ok. However closing at 10pm on certain days was quite a surprise to learn - mind, this could be a sensible application to other licensed premises with earlier opening hours, especially covering evening meal times which could tend to be more popular.
If you would like to register your support against the loss of pubs and clubs then go to this website :- www.axethebeertax.com We are losing pubs at the rate 6 per day all going back to the Monopolies & Mergers commission on the industry in 1989 - its time some of that idiotic legislation was repealed and let the brewers run the pubs and not the new marketing pub groups. Can we also see advantageous taxation on barrelage to enable the pubs to compete with the supermarkets - mind, they are taking over everything.
|
|
The club trip was the annual childrens treat organised by the Working Mens Club. For those whose families didn’t afford to go on holiday in the 40’s and 50’s it was absolutely marvelous. The kids went free and were given about ten shillings in pocket money, sensibly managed by your parents if you were too young.
The destina tion varied between mostly Bridlington or Scarborough and the occasional trip to Cleethorpes or Blackpool. Again choice of transport was important and a journey by train was always preferred and eagerly awaited. Imagine the excitement as the days were counted off to the trip, especially for those who had no holiday to look forward to. On the morning of the trip you could feel the pleasurable atmosphere as families walked to the station from all parts of the village weighed down with packed sandwiches, flasks, pushchairs, buckets and spades. One of the best aspects was, most of your friends were going as well.
Freedom to be able to explore the extensive coaches and to enjoy the view of the journey from the half open coach windows was something we all enjoyed and still remember. Most of the men enjoyed it too with the guards van stocked to the roof with crates of ale. Just imagine, some of them started boozing at 10am on the train.
The journey by bus meant a walk to the club, no problem as we were all motivated by anticipation of a trip to the seaside. Again lots of excited people converging on a line of say 25 tour buses, each one numbered and the tickets previously obtained advised you where to sit. Different to the train journey but here we always enjoyed the stop at one of the half way houses, which on any Sunday morning in the high summer would be full with hundreds of coaches from clubs from all over the West Riding area.
Arrival at the coast saw a river of trippers walking to the beach and hiring deckchairs. Then for the kids it was who could get stripped into cozzies and be first into the waves. It never seemed as cold in those days and you could keep going in and out of the sea interspersed with sandwiches and ice cream until home time.
Later trips in adolescent life enabled you to leave the family group and go with your friends. Gone was the sea, in came the amusements, helter skelters and dodgems - you couldnt beat it, however it did teach the lesson about who were the winners on one armed bandits.
The homeward journey was always a bind on the bus, first of all departure time was 6’o clock and the journey seemed to take twice as long.
There was one thing to look forward to - School holidays were just around the corner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brewery Trip
Or was it a pub crawl. Michael Shillito again! Mike was working as a drayman for Bentleys Yorkshire Breweries out of Woodlesford. We would be about 19 or 20 years old and Mike, whilst boasting about the perks of his job invited me to come with them on a delivery round next time I had a day off work. Couldn’t wait for it, and booked a days leave as quickly as possible. Mike and Ernest Mattinson (big Matty) duly picked me up about 11am to do a delivery to pubs mostly in the Pontefract/Knottingley areas. Bear in mind they had already completed a round in the Rothwell area. One of the attractions Mike had told me was that when they had set the barrels up in the cellar, the Landlord/Landlady would usually pull a pint for the draymen, and this I was looking forward to. In addition they carried a crate of bottled ale under the seat in the cab ‘in case of emergencies’. They also, I’m told, had access to any amount of free beer at the brewery - what a job.
The first delivery was to the Bradley Arms in Castleford, the cellar was a maze of glass pipes joined with cork connections and a total mystery to me. However there were a lot of barrels to go in and empties to go out. As promised, after laying the barrels a pint of beer was pushed over to me, and this before opening time.
The next drop was in Pontefract, not as many barrels here, but the customary generosity still prevailed. Another pub in Pontefract, I can’t remember the name, this time it was cups of tea and fish and chips all round. In this case it was a difficult operation to get the barrels in. The standard procedure was to unload the barrels off the truck on to a thick padded buffer, then the barrel or beer crate was let down an angled track restrained by a chain (I’m not sure they used the chain all the time). The barrels are then laid on timber stands and prepared for tapping and the crates stacked for the landlord. The reverse process then applied to the empties.
Well, there we were en route to a fourth delivery and big Matty was opening a couple of bottles in the cab. Knottingley was the next port of call and a pub near the canal, here we were treated again for using the wheels to deliver to an awkward stock room. A second drop in Knottingley then a final delivery to a public house somewhere out of town with the usual reward interspersed with the odd bottle in the cab.
Finally we were on the way home, I hadn’t done much lifting except with my right arm and I was ok as we drove through Methley to pull up at the top of Woodrow Hill. Somehow the fresh air and synchronisation of disembarking caused my knees to buckle and I ended up in a heap in the ditch. As the truck pulled away on its way to the brewery, probably for the last pint it slowly dawned on me that the pair of them had paced themselves throughout and when I was having a drink it was usually with only one or the other. Cheers lads.
|
|
|
|
|
Bay Horse RIP
As an alehouse and local inn the Bay Horse played an integral part in the social aspect of this village. It also had important historical aspects too, especially in relation to its function as a meeting place for miners from the local coal mines.
Even after the Institute had been converted to the Miner’s Welfare, it was the Bay Horse where the men argued/agreed/voted/resolved matters certainly in relation to Savile Pit on a day to day basis - the Welfare being used only for larger NUM meetings. The pub even carried a signed notice by the magistrates to open one hour extra each working day for the benefit of miners coming off shift.
One hundred and forty years ago it was headquarters of the Methley and Whitwood Colliers in their fight against enforced evictions by the mine owners during a major dispute. It was in fact one of many like public houses which would lead to the formation of the Yorkshire Miner’s Association. Witness the membership card of Norman Green which prints the title - Savile Pit of the Yorkshire Mineworkers’ Association registered under the Trades Union Acts of 1871 - 1917 at the Old Bay Horse, Methley. Secretary G Bullen
It was also a centre for the exchange of information on many other matters ranging from pigeons to gardening and no one was banned from its doors. It attracted many lively and interesting characters - too many to name, however I have one abiding memory as a 17 year old, calling in one Friday night on the way to the dance at the Welfare. Before going into the pub a look back showed a group of afternoon shift men silhouetted including the unmistakable figure of 22 stone Benny Hanson walking down to the pub. The landlord was pulling one of three pints as I walked in and then took my call for one pint of tetleys bitter - the three pints were being pulled in advance for Benny and by the time I had finished my drink Benny had shifted three and a further two pints before walking out to catch the 10.20pm 189 bus to Castleford!!
What on earth happened! The pub had long since lost association of the colliers, but had been rescued and made into a thriving bar and restaurant business. However over the last 5 years business had fallen off, you didn’t need to be an accountant to know that - all you had to do was look at the car park.
Last orders were called on Friday 19th August, 2005 and in the following days constructors fencing was put in place.
Sadly enquiries made throughout the summer in relation to rumours about possible closure were not answered and the approach to rectify matters with even further investment rather that a more simple solution has now proved to be unsuccessful.
Well, now that its closed we can see what it says on the Leeds City Planning Consents website that on 12th July, 2005 permission to construct 10 houses and 30 apartments was approved following an application made on 18th February. A later look shows that this was varied to 24 dwelling houses on the 17th October, 2005
Former landlord Bill Gettings would turn in his grave if he knew all this. As no doubt the ghost of Methley will.
Just some former Landlords 1821 Jane Thornton
1861 Samuel Popplewell
1877 Sarah Wright
1881 Ellen Green
1892 Geo Risker
1908 Ephraim Jackson
1911 Arthur Wyke
1927 Elizabeth Earnshaw
1929 Solomon Darrell
1936 Wm Gettings
1972 Louis Napper Beevers
1992 Brian Lockwood
Ghost Story
|
|
LICENSED VICTUALLER GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE (Sept 1926)
At the Wakefield West Riding Court, application was made for the temporary transfer of the licence of the United Kingdom Hotel, from George Ayres to Thomas Holmes. Mr J Burrows, solicitor supported the application, and told the bench that Holmes had a conviction against him for an offence of a licensing nature earlier this year whilst he was at the Spring Close Tavern, Leeds. That house, said Mr Burrows, was in a rough quarter and was not an easy one to manage, but during nearly eight years stay he had brought that house to an excellent standard. The conviction was due to his wife supplying four bottles of beer to men to take out at 10:22pm on a busy night, when she had no idea it was so late. The proprietors of the United Kingdom (Whittaker’s Brewery Company) knew the whole of the circumstances of the case, and, knowing the applicant, where quite prepared to entrust him with the licence and give him an opportunity to return to the trade, if the Bench saw fit to grant him the licence – the police opposed the application as the ground of the previous conviction, however their report added, “ With the exception of the above mentioned facts there is no reason why it should not be granted”. The Chairman (Mr G Butler) said the Bench were of the opinion that the man, having paid the penalty should not be prevented from having another chance. It was very good of the brewery company to support this man.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pubs that didn’t make it
Millmoor Tavern - Low Common
Rising Sun - Watergate
Malt Shovel - Main Street
Lord Nelson - Main Street
The Caroline -Caroline Bridge
Junction Inn (Bush) - Pindergreen
United Kingdom - Woodrow
New Bay Horse - Main Street (08/2005)
Royal Oak - Woodrow (06/2011)
TheQueen - Low End (2012)
The Mexborough Arms - Park Lane (09/2015)
Ghost Story
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
