The Golden Slipper, York

The Golden Slipper is a former John Smith's pub situated in York's shopping centre close to York Minster. As the picture on this site shows, it's an odd looking pub externally, consisting of two different buildings in different styles joined together internally. The pub sign outside features a golden slipper and we learn more inside as to why the pub is so named. It's a multi roomed pub which, despite some evident alterations, still retains a reasonably traditional atmosphere. There's several rooms off a central corridor, including a small snug "library" just off the main bar and a darts room on the right. It's clear that there's an active darts team, but customers are asked not to play between 11.30am and 3 pm, when the room may be being used by diners. I doubt however, that there's many pubs this central in York that even have a dartboard at all. The central corridor leads down to a small outside seating area where an old enamel Magnet Ales pub sign has been rather ignominiously consigned. On a wall in this corridor, we see the "Golden Slipper" in a framed glass case. We find out that it was discovered by workmen in 1984 and that it's a medieval leather slipper, which would have been built into the building to fend off evil spirits in a much earlier age. There's also some cricketing pictures in the corridor. Also worthy of note, in the front right hand side room, is a framed list comparing the number of pubs in York in 1885 with the number 1985, 100 years later. Perhaps not surprisingly, there were less in 1985, but still a pretty good number. Beers on were John Smiths Cask, Deuchars IPA, Speckled Hen, Bombardier and Roosters YPA. This pub seemed to me to have more of a local feel than many of the other pubs close by, which felt quite touristy, and, on those grounds alone, you might want to consider dropping in

Official site of the Golden Slipper - www.goldenslipper.co.uk

Official site of the Golden Slipper - www.goldenslipper.co.uk