
Pub preservation campaigners are in shock over ‘inappropriate and destructive’ plans to modernise two of Otley’s oldest inns.
Otley Pub Club have condemned brewer Heineken over their plans to convert the Black Bull and White Swan into trendy, city-style bars with industrial furniture and open plan seating. These are 12 of the oldest pubs in Yorkshire The two historic taverns were purchased by Heineken’s pub company, Star Pubs and Bars, in 2017. The Grade II-listed buildings are both inside the boundaries of the Otley Conservation Area. This is the best pub in Yorkshire according to the Good Beer Guide The plans for the Black Bull, which dates back to the 16th century, show that the inn’s old frontage and heritage signs would be replaced by modern ‘steakhouse’ stencilling. The company has stated that it wants the Black Bull to become a ‘modern, stylish’ pub.
The Black Bull was where Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers are said to have drunk just before fighting in the Battle of Marston Moor during the English Civil War. Over the years a wealth of historic finds have been made there, including an 18th-century Continue reading →