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From the Beer Passport: a local archive, first stop Boroughbridge

The Lost PubsofBoroughbridge

Every pub has a story. Some have simply stopped serving.

?Leeming LaneWetherby RoadMinskip RoadBorough BridgeBridge StreetBack LaneHall SquareHigh StreetFishergateHorsefairNew RowChapel HillRiver UreRoecliffe LaneBoroughbridge RoadAldborough RoadYork RoadChurch LaneMill LaneMoor LaneMarket HillSkelton RoadFront StreetSt James SquareHelperby LaneEllenthorpe LaneScaldhill LaneBoroughbridgeLangthorpeMilbyKirby HillAldboroughA1(M)old railwayCrown HotelBlack BullThree GreyhoundsThree Horse ShoesBlinking OwlYorkshire RoseBlue Bell InnFox & HoundsAnchor InnGrantham Arms
Boroughbridge & DistrictInns, taverns & hotels, past and present
500 m

Map drawn from OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), showing today's streets. Pins are placed only where a location is documented.

How to read this archive

Pub history is full of good stories and shaky dates. Every fact here carries a mark saying how far we trust it, and a numbered link to where it came from.

The register

Every house we have found, from the coaching inns of the Great North Road to names that survive only in someone's memory. The eight marked as full records have their own pages.

Showing all 22

  1. Crown HotelFull record
    also The Crown

    The great coaching inn of the Great North Road, built on the site of the Tancred family's manor house.

    Bridge Street / HorsefairBoroughbridge
    Still trading
    c. 1775earliest firm date
  2. Black BullFull record
    also Black Bull Inn

    A low, rendered inn in the corner of the square, with a probable 17th-century core.

    St James Square (6 St James Square)Boroughbridge
    Still trading
    1984earliest firm date
  3. Three GreyhoundsFull record
    also Three Greyhounds Hotel, Three Grey Hounds

    One of the two principal inns of 19th-century Boroughbridge, beside the post office on Horsefair.

    HorsefairBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    c. 19th centuryearliest firm date
  4. Three Horse ShoesFull record
    also Three Horse Shoes Hotel, Three Horseshoes, Tap on the Tutt

    A Great North Road roadhouse rebuilt around 1930, whose inter-war interior is one of the best surviving in the country.

    Bridge Street (Bridgegate)Boroughbridge
    Still trading
    1822earliest firm date
  5. Four AllsFull record
    also 4 Alls

    Milby's lost inn, whose sign carried the old rhyme of the four Alls. Now a private house.

    Milby
    Closed, building survives
    ?first record not found
  6. Old Red LionFull record
    also Red Lion

    A Langthorpe pub remembered by name. Possibly the Red Lion kept by John Wincup in 1823.

    Langthorpe
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    1823earliest firm date
  7. Railway TavernFull record

    A Langthorpe pub named for the railway. Its dates and site are still to be found.

    Langthorpe
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
  8. Wellesley ArmsFull record

    On our starting list, but not yet found in any source we have checked.

    Kirby Hill (reported)Kirby Hill
    Not yet confirmed
    ?first record not found
  9. Blinking Owl
    also Riverside Court

    An early-to-mid 19th-century former pub opposite the Three Horse Shoes, overlooking the river. Now Riverside Court.

    Bridge Street, by the riverBoroughbridge
    Closed, building survives
    1985earliest firm date
    What we know so far
    • ✓Listed. Riverside Court, listed Grade II on 19 December 1984 (list entry 1150087) and formerly listed as The Blinking Owl Public House: an early-to-mid 19th-century former public house.[9]
    • ❝Remembered. "Opposite the Three Horse Shoes Hotel stood the Blinking Owl (now a care home), overlooking the river." It was a licensed restaurant in 1985.[2]
    • ?Warehouse?. The town council mentions an inn by the bridge, once a warehouse, that became homes for the elderly. This is probably the same building, but we have not confirmed it.[1]
  10. Yorkshire Rose
    also Stonefield House

    An early 18th-century former pub on Church Lane, now Stonefield House.

    Church LaneBoroughbridge
    Closed, building survives
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ✓Listed. Listed Grade II on 19 December 1984 as Yorkshire Rose Public House (list entry 1150070). It was renamed Stonefield House, Church Lane, in a 2025 amendment to the list. Historic England describes it as a "Former public house. Early C18."[10]
  11. Blue Bell Inn
    also Bluebell

    A roadside inn on the old Great North Road north of the town. It brewed its own beer in 1823.

    Leeming LaneKirby Hill
    Still trading
    1823earliest firm date
    What we know so far
    • ✓1823. "Pickering Grace, common brewer, maltster & victualler: Blue Bell".[21]
    • ❝Remembered. "Up at Kirby Hill stands the Bluebell, which is 200 years old." Bernard Porter adds that its cellars held two cells "designated to hold villains".[2]
    • ✓Milestone. A listed early 19th-century milestone stands about 10 metres south of the pub on Leeming Lane.[11]
    • ✓Today. A roadside pub with rooms, on what was once the A1. CAMRA lists it as an Asset of Community Value.[16]
  12. White Horse

    Kirby Hill's other inn in 1823.

    Kirby Hill
    Not yet confirmed
    1823earliest firm date
    What we know so far
    • ✓1823. "Hanby Matthew, victualler: White Horse".[21]
  13. Fox & Hounds
    also Fox and Hounds

    In Langthorpe's directory entry in 1823 and still pouring today. The years between are not yet documented.

    Skelton RoadLangthorpe
    Still trading
    1823earliest firm date
    What we know so far
    • ✓1823. "Farmery Richard, vict Fox & Hounds".[21]
    • …Same house?. Today's Fox & Hounds may not stand on the 1823 site; that is not yet confirmed.
    • ✓Today. Open; independently run.[17]
  14. Anchor Inn
    also Free Masons, Oddfellows, Steam Mill

    A pub of many names: the Free Masons, then the Oddfellows, then the Steam Mill, and later the Anchor.

    Leeming LaneLangthorpe
    Still trading
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Names. "The Free Masons that became Oddfellows then renamed Steam Mill, which later became the Anchor."[2]
    • ❝Brewery. Bernard Porter also remembers Warwick's ("Waricks") brewery in Langthorpe.[2]
    • ✓Today. Listed by CAMRA under Red Oak Taverns.[18]
  15. Grantham Arms

    Named after Lord Grantham of Newby Hall.

    Milby
    Still trading
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Name. "The Grantham Arms named after Lord Grantham of Newby Hall".[2]
    • ✓Today. Open; independently run. It is the sister pub of Tap on the Tutt.[19][15]
  16. Rose Manor Hotel
    also The Three Arrows, Arrowfield

    Once Arrowfield, a private house, then The Three Arrows, then the Rose Manor.

    Not yet confirmedBoroughbridge
    Not yet confirmed
    2005earliest firm date
    What we know so far
    • ✓Names. "The Rose Manor (previously The Three Arrows and originally Arrowfield, a private house)": one of the pubs and hotels trading in 2005. The council's history also mentions the hotel's Harclay Bar, named in memory of a figure from the Battle of Boroughbridge (1322).[1]
  17. Temperance Hotel

    A hotel without the drink, upstairs over a café and sweet shop.

    Next to the Crown Hotel car park entranceBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Remembered. "The building next to the Crown Hotel car park entrance was 'The Temperance Hotel' upstairs, whilst down stairs there was a double frontage 'Café' and 'Sweet Shop'."[2]
  18. Black Swan

    Meeting place of the Oddfellows.

    By today's SparBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Remembered. "The Oddfellows who met at the Black Swan which used to be by what is now the 'Spar'."[2]
  19. Queens Head
    also Queen's Head

    Where the Foresters met.

    By Hall SquareBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Remembered. "The Forresters who met at the Queens Head by Hall Square".[2]
  20. Windmill

    Where the Druids met.

    Not yet knownBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Remembered. "The Druids met at the Windmill".[2]
  21. Royal Oak

    A name on Bernard Porter's list. Nothing more yet.

    Not yet knownBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Remembered. Listed among the town's hostelries, "many of these establishments have long gone or have changed names".[2]
  22. Green Tree

    Another name on Bernard Porter's list.

    Not yet knownBoroughbridge
    Closed, fate of building unknown
    ?first record not found
    What we know so far
    • ❝Remembered. Listed among the town's hostelries by Bernard Porter.[2]

The Boroughbridge time machine

Choose a decade to see which houses are on record. A pub appears only between its first and last documented dates. Where the years between two records are blank, it says so.

1820s
Drag to travel
1700sToday

On record in the 1820s

    Walk it

    Verified locations only. The line on the map links the stops and is not a route; follow the pavements. About 1.5 km to the Fox & Hounds as the crow flies, a little more on foot. The Blue Bell is about 1.1 km further, up Leeming Lane.

    1. Black BullSt James Square (6 St James Square), Boroughbridge. A low, rendered inn in the corner of the square, with a probable 17th-century core.
    2. Yorkshire RoseChurch Lane, Boroughbridge. An early 18th-century former pub on Church Lane, now Stonefield House.
    3. Crown HotelBridge Street / Horsefair, Boroughbridge. The great coaching inn of the Great North Road, built on the site of the Tancred family's manor house.
    4. Three GreyhoundsHorsefair, Boroughbridge. One of the two principal inns of 19th-century Boroughbridge, beside the post office on Horsefair.
    5. Three Horse ShoesBridge Street (Bridgegate), Boroughbridge. A Great North Road roadhouse rebuilt around 1930, whose inter-war interior is one of the best surviving in the country.
    6. Blinking OwlBridge Street, by the river, Boroughbridge. An early-to-mid 19th-century former pub opposite the Three Horse Shoes, overlooking the river. Now Riverside Court.
    7. Grantham ArmsMilby. Named after Lord Grantham of Newby Hall.
    8. Anchor InnLeeming Lane, Langthorpe. A pub of many names: the Free Masons, then the Oddfellows, then the Steam Mill, and later the Anchor.
    9. Fox & HoundsSkelton Road, Langthorpe. In Langthorpe's directory entry in 1823 and still pouring today. The years between are not yet documented.
    10. Blue Bell InnLeeming Lane, Kirby Hill. A roadside inn on the old Great North Road north of the town. It brewed its own beer in 1823.
    ?Leeming LaneWetherby RoadMinskip RoadBorough BridgeBridge StreetBack LaneHall SquareHigh StreetFishergateHorsefairNew RowChapel HillRiver UreRoecliffe LaneBoroughbridge RoadAldborough RoadYork RoadChurch LaneMill LaneMoor LaneMarket HillSkelton RoadFront StreetSt James SquareHelperby LaneEllenthorpe LaneScaldhill LaneBoroughbridgeLangthorpeMilbyKirby HillAldboroughA1(M)old railway12345678910Crown HotelBlack BullThree GreyhoundsThree Horse ShoesBlinking OwlYorkshire RoseBlue Bell InnFox & HoundsAnchor InnGrantham Arms

    Then and now

    Old photographs will sit beside the same view today, with a slider to wipe between them. We only show images whose owners have given permission and whose source is known, so for now the frames are empty. If you have a photograph, it could fill one.

    Wanted: the Three Greyhounds
    Horsefair, any date
    Wanted: the Three Horse Shoes before 1930
    Bridge Street, before the rebuild
    Wanted: the Four Alls sign
    Milby: King, Priest, Soldier, Everyman

    Share a memory

    Did you drink in the Railway Tavern, know where the Old Red Lion stood, or have a photo of the Greyhounds? Corrections are just as welcome as stories.

    Email a memory
    1. Nothing is published automatically. Rob reads every message.
    2. We print your name only if you say we can. Otherwise it's "a local resident".
    3. Photographs go up only with the owner's explicit permission, credited as they wish.
    4. Memories are marked as recollections and kept separate from documented facts.

    Sources

    Where everything on these pages comes from. Some sources are still on the to-read pile, and they are marked.

    1. The History of Boroughbridge, Boroughbridge Town Council
    2. Memories and collected information by Mr Bernard Porter (Feb 2010, compiled by Mike Jones), Boroughbridge Town Council memories archive
    3. Pubs and Hostelries (memories archive document), Boroughbridge Town CouncilNot yet reviewed: the document could not be read during this round of research
    4. Memories archive, Boroughbridge Town Council
    5. Crown Hotel, list entry 1150086, Historic England
    6. The Black Bull, list entry 1315499, Historic England
    7. Post Office and Former Annexe to Three Greyhounds Hotel, list entry 1150090, Historic England
    8. The Three Horse Shoes Public House, list entry 1245941, Historic England
    9. Riverside Court (formerly listed as The Blinking Owl Public House), list entry 1150087, Historic England
    10. Stonefield House (formerly listed as Yorkshire Rose Public House), list entry 1150070, Historic England
    11. Milestone approximately 10 metres south of Blue Bell public house, list entry 1315306, Historic England
    12. Pubs in Boroughbridge, CAMRA WhatPub
    13. Crown Hotel, Boroughbridge, CAMRA WhatPub
    14. Black Bull Inn, Boroughbridge, CAMRA WhatPub
    15. Tap on the Tutt (formerly Three Horse Shoes), Boroughbridge, CAMRA WhatPub
    16. Blue Bell Inn, Kirby Hill, CAMRA WhatPub
    17. Fox & Hounds Inn, Langthorpe, CAMRA WhatPub
    18. Anchor Inn, Langthorpe, CAMRA WhatPub
    19. Grantham Arms, Milby, CAMRA WhatPub
    20. The Crown: a history, Coaching Inn Group / Crown HotelNot yet reviewed: the document could not be read during this round of research
    21. Baines's Directory 1823: Kirby Hill parish (Kirby Hill and Langthorpe), transcription, GENUKI
    22. Boroughbridge: geographical and historical information (edited from 19th-century sources), GENUKI
    23. Here's to Boroughbridge: a history of its hostelries (1991), WorldCat recordNot yet consulted: probably the most important printed source; try a library copy
    24. Boroughbridge, Wikipedia
    25. Boroughbridge railway station, Wikipedia
    26. Milby, North Yorkshire, Wikipedia
    27. Kirby-on-the-Moor, Wikipedia
    28. Parishes: Kirkby Hill or Kirkby on the Moor (Victoria County History, North Riding), British History Online
    29. OpenStreetMap (map data and present-day pub locations), OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL

    Next on the round

    Boroughbridge is the first stop. The archive is built so that more towns can be added.

    Research last updated 2026-10-28. The data behind these pages is published as boroughbridge.json.