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Detail Pages
The Dante Arms, Leyburn
Middleham
Postal town: Leyburn
DL8 4NP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Dante Arms
Formerly the Black Swan, the pub has been renamed after the racehorse Dante, who was trained in Middleham and was the last northern-trained winner of the Derby. (This was in 1945, so it is a surprise to see the inn sign is in the style of a 19th century horse portrait.) The pub is large, with three rooms across the front at different heights and linked by steps, a reflection of the steepness of the hill leading up to the castle. The bar is in the middle one, with three hand pumps (see photo). I went for the Black Sheep, but it was in poor condition, probably the end of the barrel, and I had it changed by the lass behind the bar (who wore a T-shirt identifying her as employed by one of the racing stables in town). The house beer that I ended up with is from Wensleydale, and judging by the strength and colour may well be their Semer Water, possibly with the hops tweaked a little; it was in good condition but nothing to get excited about. The room has some original wood panelling and old settles provide the seating, with some incongruous modern cushions. The background music and TV screens were other modern intrusions I could have done without - all this minor griping would have been forgotten if my chosen beer had been in good nick. Ah well.
On 5th March 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Black Swan Hotel
Olde Worlde interior in the ground floor of a Yorkshire stone built hotel, the furthest up the hill of the four pubs that line Middleham's steep sloped Market Place. There are two rooms next to each other; the right hand side is the bar and is split into upper and lower areas, the left hand room is the Cygnet Restaurant. The bar is a lovely old room with a low ceiling, tall back settles and a flag floor, the counter is in the lower portion and above it is some odd half timber work, there is a little bit of a restaurant atmosphere, the service inclining a little that way. Five handpumps line the counter and dispense local ales from Black Sheep (Bitter), Theakstons (Old Peculier), Hambleton (Stud) and John Smiths , the fifth was reversed, a short T bar holds Strongbow and Guinness while tucked away are lager founts for Fosters and 1664. The ale quality was excellent, and the prices a bit higher than elsewhere. Middleham being famous for its racing stables the décor does comprise mainly horse pictures but less so than other pubs, the cigarette card collection of thorough breds is rather unusual and there is a big screen for watching how locally trained horses perform at televised meetings. There is a beer garden at the back and the general feel of the place is that it would be more often frequented by Trainers or Owners than jockeys or stable lads and lasses.
On 25th July 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]