THE BLUE BELL

The Ashfield was a large detached residence set in 3.5 acres of mature ground off Weston Lane and built in 1816 by Jonathan Chadwick. Formerly the home of the late Colonel W. Stopham Dawson, the estate was broken up after his death and during WWII was occupied as a training centre for Merchant Navy radio officers. In 1948 the residence was sold to Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd. who were granted permission to convert it into a hotel but there was a delay. This was due to the fact that the licence of the Queens Head Hotel in Kirkgate had to be transferred to the Ashfield but this could not be done until the Queens Head closed circa 1955 when the Ashfield was then opened as a hotel. At some time, it also became a Training Centre for Tetley’s Brewery.

The Blue Bell on Manor Square, no longer exists as an inn.

Census data shows the licensee was William Pawson, at least between 1822 and 1837.

In 1822 it was listed as being in the Market Place (the Cattle Market) before being named Manor Square), with the stables and brewhouse at the rear and entered from Clapgate (now known as part of Manor Square).

The last landlord was Martin Jennings in 1928 when the licence was not renewed.

It became Whitaker’s confectioner’s shop in 1934.

In 1967 Joseph Teale took over the shop from Halfords.

The property was empty in 1981 and later the adjoining National Westminster Bank extended their business into this property which now forms the right hand part of the Bank. Nat West closed this branch Oct 2017 and the premises has remained empty (Mar 2023)

The New Inn, built without the bays, is situated in the 32-34 Market Place next door to the Black Bull and is one of the inns listed in 1822 when John Laybourn was given as innkeeper.

He was followed by Abraham Dawson in 1825, the inn and cottage attached being owned by James Tempest, a butcher, who also owned most of the property in the yard behind. The annual value of the inn, with stables and brewhouse, was £15 in 1836, compared to £16 for the Black Bull.

Nathaniel Dawson held the licence between c1830 and 1857. The Holmes family occupied it for over 58 years, followed by many more Landlords over the years. More recent tenants include the Rennison family, followed by Anthony and Jean Carruthers and then Chris White in 1987.

Until 1921 a shop and cottage occupied part of the building on the immediate right of the inn yard, the entrance being by steps to a door built in the corner of the building. In the beginning of the last century, the shop was occupied by William Caygill, a China and glass dealer (also coal merchant). After his death the property became part of the New Inn.

Chris White and his sister took over the Inn in 1987, but their dreams were shattered in November of that year by Tetley’s decision to sell it off as a shop. The Landlord said that Tetley’s wanted to sell the town centre pub as part of a large development. Mr. White had only taken over the pub in March that year and said he had spent a lot of money on refurbishing the building.

In early March 1988, Mr. Chris White was given a stay of execution and was told by Joseph Tetley that the pub must close by the end of April but Leeds Planners decided to refuse the brewers permission for change of use.

The Woolpack at 14 Bondgate was built as a dwellinghouse in the 18th century and converted into an Inn at a later date.

First appearance as an inn was The Fox and Hounds with stories of inn activity in 1730, 1774 and 1818. Indeed the pub had a much bigger foot-print than that shown in our picture. It is understood that the inn covered land to the east of Bondgate upto where the Bowling Green pub now stands before Newmarket Street was there. It even encompassed the land now occupied by the Otley Tavern (formerly Ring o’ Bells pub).

Before 1822, it was renamed to the “Kings Arms” – landlords listed were J. Sharphouse (1829) and John Walker (1834) who oversaw the renaming of the inn to ‘The Woolpack’ (pre-1834).

Landlords listed: John Thackray (1834), John Hartley (1837). Around 1860 as the 1861 Census shows Frederick Freeman as Inn Keeper of The Woolpack.

William Shires was Inn Keeper on the 1871 Census and remained so until circa 1888.

Thomas Richardson came next and in 1890 the Licence was transferred to his wife Sophia Richardson.

Many more landlords followed, including David Ripley, Joseph Staton, Joseph Ramsden, John Edgar Bradley, James Waterhouse and in 1912 Albert Franklin to name but a few.

George Bean was landlord in 1922, followed by Robert Bean.

The Licence of the Travellers Rest dates back to 1853 (one year later than the Roebuck), the first Innkeeper being Robert Yates. He died in 1876, the licence being transferred to his wife, Ruth Yates, and in 1884 to Edward Yates, who allowed the licence to lapse later in the year. Therefore, the Travellers Inn existed for a period of only 31 years, and yet in that short period an incident occurred which resulted in the Roebuck Inn being known by a name other than its official name.

It is thought that many Otley people may be aware of the circumstances which led to the inn being known as “The Spite.” One story is that William Parkinson, a well-known Otley character who lived in Beech Hill, was in the habit of calling in at the Travellers Inn, but on one occasion he called at The Roebuck first and stayed chatting with the Landlord, George Spence, for about an hour. On leaving, he proceeded to his usual haunt where he was greeted by Mrs. Yates, wife of the Landlord, who had seen him call at The Roebuck first, and at once refused to serve him with beer saying that as he had called at The Roebuck first, he could go back there. William Parkinson returned to The Roebuck, and in the throes of conversation over his “dismissal” from the Travellers Rest, made the following remark “There’s now’t but spice and malice up here.” For a while the inn was jocularly referred to as “The Spite,” the other “T’Malice,” and since one ceased as an inn, the Roebuck has, for the last 70 years, been familiarly known as “The Spite."

The Summer Cross Hotel on Pool Road was built (around 1841) on a site which had been occupied by Busk House and then replaced by Summer Cross Cottage in the early part of the 19th Century. The hotel was named after the close of land upon which it was built. i.e. Summer Cross Close.

The Otley-Tadcaster turnpike was opened in the mid 1700’s and a toll house erected. (Incidentally, in a lecture in March 1925, the late Mr. Charles Joshua Fernside Sinclair recollected that there was a toll bar just above the cemetery gate, and the Summer cross was built as a putting-up place for farmers so that they could evade the toll!).

Both 1841 and 1851 censuses show that Summer Cross Cottages were occupied by Samuel Hartley, gardener and his family, and the 1861 census shows the cottages being occupied by Grace Waterhouse and her daughter Sarah. Ten years later, the census showed Ellis Hartley (son of Samuel) living with his wife, four daughters and two sons at the now renamed Summer Cross Inn.

The 1881 census showed it was occupied by Samuel Green, licensed victualler, and his family. Also, the 1891 census shows the hotel occupied by Leeds born Thomas L. Walker, publican, with his wife, two sons and a servant, and the 1901 and 1911 censuses show the hotel occupied by Keighley born William Hennery Normington, together with his wife and servant.

J. R. Holmes & Sons of Bingley Brewery, sold the property by auction in 1919 to Hammonds Bradford Brewery.

This Pub was originally known as “The Carpenters Arms” which closed down in the early 1830’s. Its licence was then renewed under the name of the “Wharfedale Inn” and had a new Landlord, Jonathan Bailey in 1849. Samuel Wilkinson was Landlord in 1902 who stayed there until 1907 when the licence was refused and closed on the 21st December 1907.

However, the premises continued in use as refreshment rooms and a lodging house, and for many years retained the old wooden backed seat in the two front rooms, one being the ‘best room’ or ‘Low room,’ the other being the ‘tap room,’ behind which was the ‘snug.’

It was thought to be 400 years old in 1934 when demolition started, along with two adjacent cottages, a former foundry and other property to make way for the new road “Crossgate” and new bus station. In October 1934, workmen erected a palisading around the Inn and from inside the building came the hollow thump of hammers on old walls. The demolition had begun. The building was so old that no-one appeared to know how far its history went back. The owner, Mr. Tom Smith of Otley, guessed its age to be at least 400 years old. Whilst the inn was being demolished, a sixpence and a penny piece were found in the walls. Both coins bore the head of George III. The sixpence was dated 1816 and the penny 1866.

The site is now part of the bottom end of Crossgate.