The Bingley Arms, Leeds

One of a number claiming to be England’s oldest pub, no comment from me but the present building appears Georgian. It has two bars, a small public at the left hand end reached up a flight of stone steps, a small square room with a wood burner, fake beams, board floors and a few tables both high and low; blocking access to the small L shaped counter is a settle with a window view. The right hand end has a bar / restaurant, it’s bigger and has low tables plus a few taller ones otherwise similar to the public. Three pulls in each bar with Taylors Landlord, White Rat and Ossett Blonde, my White Rat was on its last legs but just about drinkable, the Landlord was in better condition. The public is decorated with sporting type photos, mostly golf although there’s a signed Glasgow Celtic football shirt and another - possibly a Leeds one, it also has three big screens, all on golf when I dropped in, and constant background music. Functionally staffed.

Official site of The Bingley Arms - www.bingleyarms.com

Official site of The Bingley Arms - www.bingleyarms.com

This is an imposing pub set on a bank in the village of Bardsey. As previous reviews have said, it lays claim to being the oldest pub in England. It has a rather large car park at the front, also set on the bank. We entered up some steps into a dining room. The waitress/barmaid that greeted us suggested that it was best for us to sit outside, where there is a covered patio at the rear. However, it was strange that nobody else had been asked to sit outside, with quite a few drinkers in a separate bar area. Timothy Taylor Landlord is a regular beer here. The guest was Ossett Yorkshire Blonde. Despite it being a Sunday lunchtime, there were no other diners present, which made our relegation to the patio all the more strange. A little too pretentious for my liking, despite its historic appeal.

Easy to reach by bus from the centre of Leeds: the X99 takes just under half an hour, and the village is a short walk from the bus stop on the main road (less than half a mile bus stop to pub). I made a special trip to get here, having only recently found out that it claims to be the oldest pub in the country. Apparently there are American tourists who make a point of visiting, though to outward appearances it could be any age; I was informed that there is a tunnel connecting the cellars to a vault under the nearby church, but whatever the claim of 953AD is based upon, it is obviously similarly underground and unseen by the modern drinker. With Covid-19 table service in operation I was quickly escorted through the main bar to a table on the sunken patio at the rear. The garden is above this, approached by steps, but the patio was covered and heaters added to assist with reopening after the lockdown was lifted. Two beers were available on hand pump, Timothy Taylor Landlord and a Yorkshire Blonde, whose provenance I didn't determine. Luckily the Landlord was in the best condition and taste I can recall in recent years, which has earned this pub an extra mark or two from me, and at £4.30 is only a pound a pint more expensive than in John Bonser's review of more than a decade ago. It was quiet at the time of my mid-Sunday afternoon visit, but from talking to one of the friendly staff I found out that it had been busy at lunch time and they have been doing a good trade since reopening, which is good news. I ate here, and had a vegan tart with new potatoes and a generous salad for £13. It might be good to come back another time when things are more relaxed - I exited via the signposted one way system which goes through a public bar to the left of the main room, which seemed pleasant and well occupied, presumably by locals.