SINCE 2020, the Telegraph & Argus has featured a Pub of the Week, spotlighting popular hostelries throughout the district.
Here we take a look back at some of those featured over the years.
The Brownlee Arms was a T&A Pub of the Week in September 2021. The former Grey Horse in Long Row, Horsforth - was renamed in 2012 in honour of the Olympic triathlete brothers who grew up in the town.
‘There’s a Brownlee breakfast on the menu for fans to get their teeth into: two rashers of bacon, two eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, tomato, toast, black pudding and hash brown. It’s hearty fare after a morning’s swim, cycle, or run - or, if you’re looking to follow in the brother’s footsteps and if you’re up to it, all three,’ our profile recounted.
‘As a main, the Brownlee burger - served with smoked applewood cheddar, streaky bacon, crispy onions, chunky chips and more - also cuts the mustard.’
Both are still available, among many other choices on the menu at this family-focused pub, where a ‘Little Brownlee’ is aimed at youngsters aged up to ten.
The stone-built pub has a cosy, contemporary interior. A garden room with a retractable roof was added in 2019, and there’s a sizeable beer garden.
Dogs are welcome at the pub, attracting walkers from the local area. “We get all sorts of dogs. We are very dog-friendly and have dog beds and treats for them,” we were told.
The Calverley Arms was a Pub of the Week in November 2021, accompanied by pictures including the colourful Virginia creeper which covers much of the building.
The Calverley Lane inn, dates from the 1850s and was once home to local industrialist Samuel Gray. Much later, in the 1960s, it was turned into offices, becoming a pub in 1999. It was open for a decade before it became the Calverley Arms.
The pub is well-used by local people and visitors from further afield, who enjoy sitting in its spacious lounge and garden, both of which have far-reaching views across the Aire Valley.
“On a weekend families come and let their kids run about in the grounds,” said its manager at the time. “We have a big open space and lots of trees - they have a great time.”
The Obediah Brooke featured as a Pub of the Week in April 2022.
The JD Wetherspoon hostelry opened in November 2000. In 2018 a refurbishment costing more than £700,000 saw it reopen with a contemporary interior incorporating traditional features.
The design scheme was inspired by local woodland and the carding machines used in the textile industry, with which Cleckheaton and the wider Spen Valley is associated.
JD Wetherspoon also bought the building next door, a former bank, allowing it to expand its floor space.
The pub is named after local man Obediah Brooke who, in the late 18th century, owned a large field near the pub, one of several pockets of land owned by the Brooke family. These were enclosed around 1795, with many taking the names of their owners. A century later, the Brookes owned the town’s flourishing tannery.
The family name lives on in nearby Brooke Street.
Would you like to be our T&A Pub of the Week? Email: helen.mead@telegraphandargus.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here