The White Hart, Hull

A bit out on a limb from the other pubs that comprise the Old Town Ale Trail is The White Hart, not to be confused of course with the much better known Ye Olde White Harte. The White Hart is an imposing stand alone Edwardian building that dates back to 1904. The pub features in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors for its superb ceramic bar counter, of which apparently only 11 remain in the UK. The front room retains original wood panelling and bench seating and a fine mahogany bar back with unusual glazed cupboards. It’s Grade 2 listed. Outside we see one of the old trademark roundel signs telling us that it’s a former Mansfield Brewery house, now part of the Marstons empire of course. According to the local CAMRA Branch magazine – Pub Mirror ( Aug – Oct 2012 ) - real ale is available. Unfortunately a prominent notice in the window tells us that the pub is now only open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7 pm till late ( information current at August 2012 ) , so I didn’t get to call in on this occasion. If I ever happened to be in the area again during those hours then, assuming it hasn’t been converted to a Tesco Metro or the like, I think I’d be inclined to at least poke my head round the door.