Campaign for Real Ale

“Lotsof family owned and runpubs”

Iam often asked, what makes Leek different. Why is the Leek pub scene so vibrant, so diverse and always seems in afar better shape than other similar towns and even some much larger cities?

Ialways give asimilar reply to who ever is asking the question.

Leek is different (and in my humble opinion) far superior to any small town in the UK because many of thepubs are privately owned, either by small, independent locally based breweries or have been owned and run by the same family for many years.

That way many of Leek’s great and diverse range of pubs and bars are not subject to the accountant led culture of many of the larger property owning pub chains. They tend to be the ones that are run from a computer screen, sometimes hundreds of milesaway. They are the ones that you see constantly changing hands or closed with a‘To Let’ sign over the front door. Or, in the worstcase scenario, closed, demolished and replacedwitha dozen or so houseswithin afew months.

Because many of our great pubs are privately ownedand family run, they are most definitely different. The owners have had the time and behind the scenes effort to put in. They can adapt and change to current trends plus have over half acentury of experience running them to ahigh and profitable standard, which of course benefitsuslucky enough to call Leek home.

Benks in Stockwell Streetis an excellent example of this in practice. Benks has been owned and run by the same landlady Sara Bentley since 1992.

In fact, Sara celebrates a milestone 30 years running the pub this July. Sara’s parents Brian and Lynn Bentley first managed thepub in 1969 (which wasoriginally called The Union) from the then owners John Joule’s Brewery of Stone. In time the nickname of Brian ‘Benk’ was adoptedasthe pub name, but in adiscreet nod to history, the original name is etched into one of the front windows and the old hand painted pub sign is displayed on awall just inside theback door.

Joule’s brewery was sold to the mighty Bass empire in 1978 along with all of its tiedhouses, with Brian and Lynn buying it outright from Bass in 1980. It was in turn passed on into the very capable hands of Sara when she wasjust18years old. So,infact it has beenrun by the same family for an incredible 53 years. That is certainly atrue testament to the hard work, dedicationand longevity put into thelocalpub scene, which doesn’t go unnoticed. Well done Sara!

Also along similar lines, The Blue Mugge on the corner of Osborne Street and Queen Street has beenowned and run by the Harrison family since 1976. The current and well respectedlandlord Paul Harrison (known as Harry to locals) started working behind the bar to help out his mum and dad Geoffand Celia in 1984, taking over in his own right in 1988. Now the next generation of Harrisons in Sophie and Dan are very much part of the scene at The Blue Mugge.

Yet anotherfamily owned and run pub in the Ball Haye Tavern (known as Bodgers to locals) is worthy of amention, which has been owned and run by Pete and Marianne Hudson since 1999.

These are just afew examples of what Itellpeople when theyask: “Why is Leek different?”

Cheers!

Steve Barton Chairman of the Staffordshire Moorlands branch of CAMRA