Popular pubs that have called time
A LOCAL boozer is often seen as the hub of any village or town.
A place to catch up with old friends, spend an evening with family, or even escape for a few hours alone; the value of an old-fashioned drink at the pub is not lost on many.
But, sadly, some Huddersfield communities have been forced to say goodbye to their local hostelry since the turn of the new year.
Some have been left counting the cost of the pandemic, while others have been forced to shut their doors for good due to lack of trade or damage caused to the pub itself.
Last week, we reported the Rose & Crown pub in Golcar is set to be torn down and replaced with 14 new homes, subject to plans being approved by Kirklees Council. Here, we take a look at other pubs to have closed in and around Huddersfield since the turn of the new year.
The Ship Inn, Mirfield
It was confirmed at the end of March that the Ship Inn pub, notorious for flooding due to its precarious position next to the River Calder on Steanard Lane, will be shut “for the foreseeable future.”
The pub was significantly damaged by floodwater in February and has been shut ever since.
Bosses have now admitted that major flood defences, installed at a huge cost after the disastrous damaged caused to the pub by Storm Ciara in 2020, had proved unfruitful.
A spokesperson said: “It is with great sadness we have informed our team at The Ship in Mirfield that we are proposing to keep the pub closed for the foreseeable future due to the significant and ongoing problems with flooding and the financial implications of repeated repairs.”
The Shoulder of Mutton, Lockwood
One of Huddersfield’s best-loved real ale pubs, The Shoulder of Mutton in Lockwood, was put up for sale in February. The pub on Neale Road has been closed since the company in charge of the hostelry went into liquidation – and its future remains unclear.
It is currently hoped that The Shoulder of Mutton will continue to operate as a pub under new owners, with Huddersfield CAMRA looking to oppose any attempts to turn the site into housing.
Addressing the closure in February, landlady Eleanor Floyd said: “I’m absolutely heartbroken about what’s happened, I absolutely love this pub and have worked very hard to build it up.
“Unfortunately, having to pay rent throughout lockdown doesn’t help and no support has been given. And due to Covid restrictions and it being such a tiny pub, it was not feasible to keep going.”
The Waterloo Tavern was put for sale with a price tag of £475,000 in March after its landlady quit.
Linda Lockwood said too few customers had returned to the pub post-pandemic to make the business viable.
Bramleys Estate Agents are marketing the property on Wakefield Road, Tandem.
The Dale Inn, Denby Dale
The Dale Inn in Wakefield Road, Denby Dale, is to be turned into shops and flats.
The pub reopened in 2013 after undergoing a huge renovation, but has been up for sale for years. A proposal has now been submitted to Kirklees Council, by David Haigh of Emley Moor, to turn the existing building into two shop units at ground-floor level and three flats at first-floor level.