A Pub, a Pie and a Painting

The Old White Bear, Crosshill West Yorkshire.

Built in 1735 the building has been a hotel, a brothel and a council meeting hall as well as a brewery for Naylors beers.

Some of the timbers used in the building are understood to have come from an old naval ship "The Old White Bear" hence the name.

The Fountaine Inn, Linton in Craven

Named after Richard Fountaine a hugely wealthy benefactor who was born in the village of Linton in 1639 and in his later years commissioned a baroque style building to be used as an almshouse for the poor of the area, the Fountaine Hospital shares the village green with the Fountaine Inn and also dates back to the 17th Century.

There can be no finer place to partake of a pint on a summers afternoon than on the village green in Linton but The Fountaine also serves a full homemade food menu including a fine steak and ale pie which scored highly on the Pie Chart.

The Craven Arms, Appletreewick, Yorkshire Dales National Park.

A 16th century building in the hamlet of Appletreewick which actually still supports two pubs !

Owned originally by Sir William Craven the public house sits on an old drovers road running across Wharfedale and was part of the Bolton Priory Manor with its extensive sheep farming and lead mines.

In recent years a traditional cruck barn was added to the rear of the building using traditional local materials and craftsmen.

Features in the "Pub, a Pie and a Painting" collection with an excellent Pie rating.

The Shoulder of Mutton, Kirkby Overblow nr Harrogate

A pub built in the 1880s in the small village of Kirkby Overblow, the name being derived from oreblow and a reference to the areas ore smelting past, the village has two pubs but this is currently the only one operating.

Features in the "Pub, a Pie and a Painting" collection with a five star steak and a ale pie.

The White Hart, Pool-in-Wharfedale

Originally a 10 acre farm with stabling and outbuildings the White Hart Inn was part a parcel of land and properties sold in 1823 and included a quantity of malt and brewing vessels the seller already owning another public house in the village.

The property is situated on the main road which follows the Wharfe valley from Ilkley and Otley and onwards to the west so was an important trading route and the rooms above the pub have been used in the past for village meetings and in WW2 was suggested as a mortuary 

The Dante Arms, Middleham, Nth Yorkshire

Middleham is a small village in the Yorkshire Dales famous for two things - it has more thoroughbred racehorses stabled here than human residents  and the castle behind the pub was the childhood home of King Richard III of England.

The 17th century Dante Arms was formally The Black Swan but changed its name in 2018 in homage to the only English Derby winner to be trained in Middleham, Dante the 1945 winner ran nine races and won eight of them and was stabled in the yard at the back ofthe pub !

Another pub to rate highly with five stars for a steak and ale pie on the Pie Chart.

The George Inn, Hubberholme

High in Upper Wharfedale the hamlet of Hubberholme was once the meeting point of the "Parliament" of the parish and when built in the 17th century the George Inn was the vicarage of the adjacent St Michael & All Saints Church.

Yet to be tested on the Pie Chart the Geoerge has nevertheless a renown for its pies and cask beer.

Fly In The Loaf bar, Herdman St Liverpool

On a visit to Liverpool this popular bar leaped off the street and into the sketchbook. Kirkland Bros bakery was established in the mid 19th century by a pair of Scottish brothers who built a viennese style bakery so successful that it was given a royal warrant to supply Queen Victoria.

The spectacular frontage has been preserved as the business style changed to a jazz bar, "Kirklands", in the 1970s and then it's current incarnation "Fly In The Loaf" bar in the late 90s, the name coming from the original Kirkland Bros bakery slogan of "No flies in our loaves".