The Black Bull, Keighley

Modernised interior in yet another old stone building on the hilltop and next to the church. Still with a bit of a multi room layout and a fair amount of grey paint splashed about the place. Dog leg counter with six pulls in two equalish groups, all the casks from Bridgehouse plus Landlord and Old Peculier. Nothing unusual in the lager, cider, Guinness keg choice. Decor is a bit Bronte also with old photos and wine box wall paper. Haworth is a tourist trap village so the pub furnished for dining, it has about three doors into the longer than you think building, the beer garden is a bit of patio next to the street. A selection of young barmaids on hand sometimes.

Official site of The Black Bull - www.theblackbullhaworth.co.uk

Official site of The Black Bull - www.theblackbullhaworth.co.uk

As the other reviewers below mention the Black bull scores above other pub establishments in Haworth as it does have a genuine connection to the local Bronte family being the establishment where Bramwell drank himself to madness, and therefore the Bronte memorabilia including the print of Bramwell’s famous family self-portrait with him missing behind a pillar which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, is justified here. But sadly, as a pub experience it was probably the weakest of the four establishments we visited whilst in Haworth. A fine looking period dark stone building in keeping with the local church and other buildings nearby, internally its lost a lot of the character that I am sure was once there and is now one long internal space with white plastered walls with lower wall half wood panelling painted in black and then the dark red Axminister style corporate carpet throughout as mentioned below. And when combined with the low ceilings does give the place a fairly dark and in my book depressing aura, although this could have also been brought on by the insipid musak which seems to be also unchanged from the previous reviews. Unfortunately, my mood was not lifted by the available pedestrian beer choice of London Pride, Wychwood Hobgoblin and an average Thwaites Wainwright with Theakstons Best and TT Landlord reversed.