Riley’s Rambles

Our branch recently had a wonderful coach trip to Halifax which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who went on it. For those of you who could not make our day out, it is well worth a visit to this charming Yorkshire town, there being loads of good pubs in the town centre, a wealth of interesting architecture and a regular direct train service from Preston, taking just an hour and a quarter to get there.

Arriving at Halifax railway station, it is a short distance to the main road. Turn left, walking about 250 yards or so to reach the first pub, the renowned THREE PIGEONS. You should not miss this pub as it is on CAMRA’s National Inventory for its important historic interior. A striking octagonal drinking lobby forms a hub from which five distinctive rooms radiate. The Art Deco pub, originally built by Webster’s Brewery in 1932, is now owned and maintained by Ossett Brewery and you will find at least four of their beers on the bar, plus up to three guests from near and far. Please note that the pub only opens at 3pm during the week (noon at weekends), so if you arrive early you will need to change the order in which you visit the pubs.

Alternatively, if you turn right outside the station and look for Upper Kirkgate you will find the RING O’ BELLS next door to the 12th Century parish church. The pub is the oldest licensed pub in Halifax, being over 400 years old. The pub has a comfortable lounge with a room leading off and serves good value meals at lunchtime. It opens up at 11am and has five changing beers available.

Going back towards the station, look out for a narrow road called Blackledge on your right. This leads up to an entrance to the world famous Piece Hall, where you will find the SQUARE CHAPEL BAR, situated in a modern extension to the listed chapel, which dates from 1772. The modern long bar has up to five cask ales and is handy for exploring the Piece Hall. The bar opens at noon except for Monday and Tuesday when it only opens at four. Also, it only accepts card payments.

From here, turn right at the Railway pub, and go up to Union Street, then turn right again to reach the MEANDERING BEAR. The modern and tastefully decorated Bear

only opened in 2019 and is on a split level, the pumps being at a higher level than the lounge. Named after a Grizzly bear that escaped from the local zoo, the bar has five changing real ales. It is closed on Mondays, only opens at 4pm on Tues and Wed, noon on Sat and 1pm other days. Apart from Fri and Sat when it is open till midnight, it closes between 9pm and 11pm depending on the day.

Come out of there, turn right to find Westgate on your left where you will quickly find the KOBENHAVN a minimalistic but comfortable, Scandinavian-style modern bar opened in 2019. With three tiered seating areas and covered outside drinking area, it was highly commended in the 2022 Pub of the Year competition. With six real ales, always including a dark one, which on our visit was 4T’s Stout at 5%, it has a good range of styles of ales. No need to worry about opening times here, it is open 11–11 all days except Friday and Saturday, when it stays open till 11.30.

From here, go up out of Westgate, turn left to reach the main road, then turning right, go past the Victoria Theatre to find Powell St. on your right. On the left hand side of the street you will see the VICTORIAN CRAFT BEER CAFE. Much expanded from when it originally opened in 2014, there is now abundant cosy seating with wooden panelling on various levels around the oak tiled bar. Always ensured of a warm welcome, there is a fantastic selection of up to 9 changing cask beers from all over the country. These included on my visit an unusual light mild from Utopia of Devon at 3.6% with all kinds of beers up to a 6.8% IPA. There are also umpteen keg lines selling Belgian and world beers. Again, there are no worries about opening times; it being open noon till 11 all days (Midnight Fri/Sat)

Going back to the main road, turning right, you will come to the Wetherspoons pub, the BARUM TOP and opposite it the BOW LEG WITH BRASS. You should need no explanation of what to find in

the Barum Top, it being a good example of what makes them so popular. The Bow Leg with Brass is a large open plan pub with multiple TV screens for watching sport and usually has 3 guest ales on. To get to the next pub, go down George St, bearing left to Crown Street, down which, look on your right for a narrow passageway and you will find the UPPER GEORGE, which is well worth seeking out. A cosy, traditional pub with a central bar with comfortable seating areas off and a pool room, it attracts a mixed clientele with its friendly staff and easygoing atmosphere. It has a large screen for sports and has live music on Friday nights. What also attracts is the selection of up to seven changing real ales. On our visit the range stretched from Withens Pale at 3.9% to Elland Porter at 6.5%. There is also an outdoor courtyard which is very popular in summer. The pub is a Greene King pub badged as a John Barras outlet. It just shows what can be done with Greene King pubs. The Upper George opens at 11am (12 Sun) and closes at 11pm (12 Thurs, 1am Fri/Sat).

To reach our next pub, come back out of the George, turn right and go down to reach Princess Street where you turn left towards the Town Hall, where opposite on Wesley Court you will find the GRAYSTON UNITY, a quirky small bar in another listed building, dating from 1862. With seating in front and to the side of the bar and a covered back yard seating area, it is officially the UK’s smallest music venue, with open Mic nights on Wednesdays and also Sunday sessions. In summer there is outdoor seating to the front. It serves Goose Eye Chinook Blonde (4.2%) and up to three changing guest ales. No food, but cutlery is provided if you bring your own. It is closed Monday and only opens at 4pm on Tues – Thurs, 2pm Fri, 12.30 Sat and 1pm Sun. Closing at 8pm Tue/Wed, 10pm Thur, 11pm Fri/Sat and 7.30 Sun.

From here you can go past the Town Hall and turn right down Market St. This leads back to the Westgate area and a short walk back to the Railway Station for the journey home.

To get to Halifax on the train from Preston, catch the York train which are more or less every hour at about quarter to the hour. It is a direct train and, say you catch the 10.46, you will be in Halifax for 11.52. Return trains from Halifax to Preston leave at about 28 minutes past the hour with the 18.38 train arriving in Preston at 19.39. The current day return fare is £17.70 each. There are no duo tickets for this route, but of course you get one third off with a railcard of some description.

Besides the Piece Hall, Halifax is home to Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, handily placed adjacent to the railway station and also nearby is the Calderdale Industrial museum. Nearby attractions include Sibden Hall, the home of Anne Lister, famous from the television series Gentleman Jack. It could be worth having an extended mini break In Halifax, giving you more time to try out the excellent pubs of the town. PAUL RILEY

Correction to Riley’s Rambles 130 – Sowerby Bridge. I must apologise to our Scottish readers for not mentioning in my last article that Andrew Carnegie the philanthropist, although having spent most of his life in the USA, his parents having emigrated to there when he was 12, was born in Dunfermline, so actually he was Scottish, and should be described as Scottish-American. Happy to put the record straight.