Immerse yourself in Edwardian charm and character at The Gin Lounge

Here, at number 4, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had travelled back to the early 20th century.

The Gin Lounge - our Telegraph & Argus Pub of the Week - has brought Edwardian Britain into modern day Yorkshire. With its deep blue walls, decorative lampshades, velvet-upholstered chairs, gilded picture frames, clocks, candlesticks and all manner of vintage collectibles, you can immerse yourself in the period with a glass of expertly-made gin in your hand.

The Gin Lounge in Cowpasture Road, Ilkley

It’s a visual feast. It’s also an assault on the senses. “When you come into the bar area it is full of lush herbs - thyme, coriander, mint - you get hit with the smell as soon as you go through the door,” says Lindsay Fitton, who runs the quirky inn with wife Rachel.

“Alongside the herbs is the fresh fruit and dried botanicals used to enhance your drink.”

Customers can choose from a whopping 300 gins as well as a large selection of rum sourced from across the globe. Among their bestsellers are Black Lodge dark cherry chilli and chocolate, Ampersand melon, cold brew coffee and Ginger Ninja ginger.

The elegantly furnished interior

A cosy corner

Lindsay, who previously worked as an airline cabin crew member, and former drug and alcohol counsellor Rachel, opened The Gin Lounge in Ilkley’s Brook Street 2017.

“At the time the town had a lot of restaurants and pubs but just one bar,” says Lindsay. “We both had the idea in our heads how it would look.”

The bar formed part of a hotel, with luxurious boutique hotel rooms named after trailblazing women such as Halifax landowner Anne Lister and politician, writer and activist Millicent Fawcett.

Five years later, the business had outgrown its premises, so Lindsay and Rachel relocated to Cowpasture Road, working their magic on a former electrical shop. The couple, who married in Crete in 2018, transformed the neglected building into the elegant, characterful bar it is today.

The well-stocked shelves

“We have five hotel suites and one pending,” says Lindsay.

The Edwardian-styled hotel does not have TV sets in its rooms: as its website says: ‘We like to take you back to the times when people talked, played games and frolicked.’

“People love the rooms. They are all individual, all different. People who come to stay often return to try a different room,” says Lindsay.

The bar’s gin menu - printed in the manner of an Edwardian newspaper, changes seasonally.

Known as the Gin Lounge Ladies, the staff dress in the spirit of the establishment, wearing flat caps, braces and brogues.

The pub is full of Edwardian charm

Rachel and Lindsay enjoyed decorating the pub

The Gin Lounge hosts live music events throughout the year, as well as entertainment with a difference, including clairvoyance.

Celebrating diversity in the community, the business is proud to be among the sponsors of this year’s lkley Pride, taking place in July.

“We have a pop-up stall at Ilkley Beer Festival too,” says Lindsay.

People can sign up for masterclasses at the inn, where they can learn about the history of gin and about food pairings.

*The Gin Lounge, 4 Cowpasture Road, Ilkley LS29 8SR; theginloungeilkley.com