Bradford pub The Castle is the T&A's Pub of the Week

Sitting on the junction of Grattan Road and Barry Street, the tall stone building, with its castellated roof, cannot fail but catch the eye.

Popular with locals and visitors alike, The Castle - our Telegraph & Argus Pub of the week - is a community hub and this year is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a beer festival.

The landmark pub at the junction of Grattan Road and Barry Street

Grade ll-listed, it was built as The Castle Hotel and bears the date 1898 above the door. The initials MJB on the date stone refer to Michael John Barry, a successful businessman from Ireland who built much of the property around the area including the hotel.

For many years the hotel provided accommodation for the cast from shows preforming in the nearby theatres. Famous names who have stayed there include singer Gene Vincent.

The pub opened as part of the hotel in 1945. Over the years the building that houses it has also been home to Mickey’s bar, the Teddy Boys Club, Upstage, Backstage Bar and Oscars.

Paul Chand has owned The Castle for the past 18 years and loves being at the helm.

“It is a staple pub in Bradford - we have many regulars, some have coming for as long as I have been here," says Paul, who lived in India until the age of nine before moving with his family to Bradford. "I enjoy socialising with customers and they are very loyal to The Castle. We also love seeing newcomers and welcome them with open arms.”

Paul in his pub during the Coronation celebrations

Paul adds: “The pub is in a good location, in the city centre of Bradford, next to the Kirkgate and Ostler Market.

“The interior has a traditional look, with wooden chairs and tables that complement the orange-accented walls and bar, as inspired by its past years.”

Since Paul took over The Castle has become a real ale pub, many of which come from local breweries. “We also have live folk music nights,” he says.

Paul is the singer in the Punjabi folk band Anjanna, which regularly performs in the pub.

The Castle has held many charity events in the past, including the Big Yellow Friday as well as a beer festival. Yorkshire Air Ambulance is among the charities they support.

The forthcoming beer festival is fundraising for the Peter Greenwood Memorial Trust, helping deaf and hard of hearing students.

A folk night at the pub

“We hold a quiz every Thursday with our local teams The Castle and the Yorkshire Pudding. We also have a resident DJ every Saturday night and hold folk nights with live music once a month,” says Paul, who owned several pubs before The Castle.

Customers love the live music nights

“It is an industry I have grown to love and being landlord of The Castle has allowed me to keep pushing the business into better places.”

The bar

Enjoying a drink with friends, from left Manjit Singh Gosal, Paul, Nirmal Singh Sekhon MBE and Ajit Singh Lall

The pub recently started serving Indian street food. “This reflects my upbringing as a British Indian,” says Paul. “These small snacks have been selling fast and have been popular with the customers.”

Dogs are welcome at the inn, which has disabled access.

Adds Paul: “I enjoy the community aspect of the job most - being able to speak with my customers, regulars and new. It creates a sense of community within the pub which is great to see.”

*The Castle beer festival runs from November 17-19.

*A Diwali celebration is on Sunday November 26 from 3pm.

*The Castle, 20 Grattan Road, Bradford BD1 2LU