A HISTORIC Bradford city centre pub reopened just before the weekend after being closed since the end of last year.

Boy and Barrel, in Westgate, officially opened its doors at midday on Friday under the stewardship of a new landlord.

Trey Daley has experience in pubs across Bradford and West Yorkshire - including The Black Swan, Holmewood Bound and Swaine Green Tavern - and now takes over the reins of his own drinking hole for the first time.

It's all been a bit of a whirlwind for Mr Daley, who became landlord on Monday, January 27, just in time for the grand opening four days later.

He said: "It feels amazing, I've got the opportunity with a city centre location, which everyone wants.

"It's a great experience, I get to be in charge of running my own staff and in charge of bringing an atmosphere back to the pub.

"It's known for starring in a film in the 50s. It's one of the oldest pubs in Bradford.

"It's a big responsibility, but I'm relishing it."

Mr Daley will be helped occasionally by Lyndsey Jones, who is onboard as a licensee.

The new landlord said she will work in the background - coming in a couple of days a week to make sure everything is running smoothly and providing support for Mr Daley.

Friday's opening also marked the end of around two months of improvements.

Hawthorn Leisure - the overarching company which owns Boy and Barrel - pumped £65,000 into a complete refurbishment of the pub.

This included repainting the exterior and remodelling the bar area to open it up.

The pub's drink offerings have also been expanded.

There will be new draught beers and ciders, as well as a larger selection of gins, rums and whiskies.

One thing that won't change though, is the pub's reputation as a karaoke venue.

Mr Daley has vowed to keep this going, as well as introducing a loyalty scheme for punters, games nights and the chance to win cash prizes.

The landlord gave out free food and had a DJ playing music on the opening day and said that it was well received.

Boy and Barrel has a chequered history,

That was tempered by previous landlord Lisa Robinson-Briggs.

Mr Daley wants to take it one step further and make sure the pub is a safe environment for everybody.

He said: "I also do security at Rabbit Hole, Candy, and plenty of places around Bradford.

"We want to keep good customers in, so if there's any trouble, I'll sort out a security team to come in here.

"I want to speak to police and get the city radio locked in and be part of that and also be part of the Bradford Pubwatch."

Hawthorn Leisure managing director of operations, Mark McGinty, said: "This pub has a very loyal following, so we were keen to reopen it as soon as possible, and provide those customers – and new ones – with the sort of friendly, welcoming pub they deserve, and which they’ll want to keep coming back to.

"Trey and Lyndsey are both very strong characters, with the experience needed to run this pub, and we're excited that they're on board and already creating a buzz about the place.

"All Hawthorn Leisure's knowledge and experience will be available to help them run a successful and sustainable business."