The Old Silent Inn, Keighley

Official site of The Old Silent Inn - theoldsilent.co.uk

Official site of The Old Silent Inn - theoldsilent.co.uk

I'd been thinking of coming back here for some time, as I had visited once when walking the Pennine Way and wanted to see how the years had treated it (and me - it was 2000). In fact, if I hadn't written my visit in my notebook at the time I would never have believed I had been here before, so different was the reality from the snapshot in my memory. It's a large rambling place in isolation from Stanbury village and not really close to the few houses at Scar Top and Ponden Mill either, with the busy road making walking an unattractive option if the buses are not running. The building forms a bulky L-shape, with the entrance in a corner facing the car park, and I would guess that one part of the building has been added to another, possibly on more than one occasion, though once inside it is impossible to tell, as the interior has been entirely oldified. The bar is made of stone, just like everything else, and has three hand pumps (see photo). I went for the Copper Dragon Best, an old favourite, though after the disputes over the recipe and the image rights, who knows which version I was drinking? It was fine, anyway. There was a group enjoying a meal and lots of drinks, and they started to disperse while I was drinking my pint, some hitting the road and some the stairs, for evidently there is accommodation to be had here. Momentarily it was not so much Old Silent as Old (and for that matter, Young) Boozy. And then it was quiet again. It was 9:15pm when I left, and I wouldn't be surprised if they bolted the door after me. Date of visit: 3rd August 2021

I came upon this place when walking back to Haworth from Top Withens farmhouse (the alleged inspiration for the house in "Wuthering Heights") and was attracted by the unusual name. The interior was actually quite modern and it was full of families with children having meals. Consequently, it wasn't exactly silent either, but a good pub nevertheless.