The Fox, Holgate, York

Situated in the Holgate neighbourhood, but still a relatively short walk from the train station (albeit in the wrong direction for the city centre), this is a great community local run by the Ossett Brewery. The pub was built for local railway workers in 1878 and retains a traditional multiple room layout to this day. Entering into a corridor, the main front bar is immediately to the right, in a small but smart room with a tiled floor and dark wood servery which has a simple frosted glass bar back. A curved button backed banquette runs along the front wall and there is a nice tiled fireplace on the end wall with a huge Ossett mirror above. The walls have been decorated with a large collection of fox themed artworks, which I thought looked really good. The corridor hosts a few slot machines, which is a bit out of keeping with the rest of the pub's look, although there were a couple of TV screens showing an England football match throughout the pub. Moving on, there is a smart lounge style room to the left - a bare boarded space with banquette and low stool seating, broken up by partitioning screens with fox motif stained glass inserts. A large pub mirror dominates the décor, which includes all sorts of old odds and ends and probably merits further exploration. Further back, past some pump clip wallpaper you find a small rear bar (the 'tramcar room') with parquet flooring and button backed banquettes with luggage racks filled with suitcases above. Another tiled fireplace can be found on the far wall. Finally at the back, two snugs appear - one with curved padded banquettes and another with basic seating and access to what appeared to be a massive beer garden. Ossett stable beers took up much of the space on handpull, but there was space for a few guests, with the full range on this visit comprising Ossett Yorkshire Blonde, Excelsior and Silver King, Fernandes Folk Lore and Jackdaw Mild, Roosters 41 Degrees South, Exit 33 Blonde and, in a nod to the pub's former owners, Tetley's Cask. My pint of the Roosters was fantastic and I found the staff and locals to be very friendly and accommodating. This is a pub that seemed to attract a good customer mix based on my Friday night visit, by appealing to the pub traditionalist, beer lovers, sports fans and creating an environment in which people can feel welcome and comfortable. I really enjoyed my time here and thought it was a great showcase for the Ossett Brewery.