Leeds-ing the trend

“He didn’t want to remake it entirely but to restore it to what it would’ve looked like in its heyday,” adds Chris. It was soon discovered that the ‘original’ features in the pub, such as the mirrors and tiling, were a mismatch of different generations, including some which were nostalgic recreations. Luckily, a lot of the features that people loved about the pub were still in-situ when Kirkstall got the keys. The booths, glass and woodwork were faded but treatable, and the mosaics on the floors and the fireplace tiling — perhaps the oldest detail — were still more or less intact. In fact, though it's often overlooked in favour of polished wood and brass this tiling is one of the best examples of pub Victoriana in the country.

“Restoring a pub [like the Vic] isn’t about how much you can add because you don’t want to detract from what’s already there,” says Chris. 

He continues to note that there was some trepidation among the team that young people might be put off by its decor. This wasn’t the case at all, with the venue today proving a third space for a wide range of ages. 

This kind of achievement isn’t a one-off for Kirkstall, as is evident when you visit the nearby Tetley brewery — a refreshingly airy drinking, dining and museum-like space. The site is effectively the old Tetley HQ as the working brewery around it was demolished by Carlsberg about 12 years ago, marking the loss of one of Leeds' most iconic beer landmarks. The building is a 1930’s Art Deco classic that now dominates the vicinity but only because, according to Chris, everything was flattened around it. 

When Carlsberg left Leeds, The Tetley was turned into an art gallery and community space, so it wasn’t in the kind of disrepair that the Vic had fallen into when the opportunity arose to restore it over five years ago, but it was part of a “post-industrial wasteland”. 

Visitors today will notice the site has more of a museum feel to it than Kirkstall's other venues, but to understand the inspiration behind its contemporary aesthetic, you need to peek into the original Tetley boardroom. This wood-panelled masterpiece was one of the few rooms that had retained the original soul of the building. 

Therein Kirkstall found a slew of memorabilia, such as an A0 folder containing newspaper clippings featuring mentions of Tetley, and secure bank vaults painted to look like wood, all of which the building's former multinational custodians were disinterested in.

 Across town at the Banker’s Cat, on Boar Lane, a similar kind of alchemy has taken place. A venture from Thornbridge led by Simon Webster and Jamie Hawksworth, it has a familiar soothing aesthetic that I would describe as Frasurbane, but put simply, is sophisticated. This isn’t just a meretricious revamp of an old Ladbrokes bookmakers, but one of the most meticulously planned pubs in the UK that runs to military precision with highly knowledgeable staff at the helm. 

From a cellar that has no heat-producing devices, to cold-chain-stored pre-racked cask, everything here has been co-ordinated to make sure you sit in luxurious surroundings with a perfect pint in your hand.

“All these steps and additions make for a great experience but you don’t know how, as a customer, you’re having that great experience,” says Jamie. “You’re getting a quality pint that is technically perfect from a member of staff’s [service perspective].”

Unlike the other pubs mentioned in this piece it was a fast fit-out —acquired in September 2019 and opened in December that year — but nonetheless enjoyed a lived-in look from day one. That Frasurbane feel is gained from all wood decor and no paint. 

Jamie explains that in the past, new pubs looked to US craft taprooms for a fashionable — if sterile — aesthetic and service area but this overlooked our own British traditions. “Solid wood, comfortable leather seats: all these things add up to why a pub looks like it does,” he concludes.

And this similar philosophy has been used at the Highland Laddie where Sam Pullan and Nicole Deighton revitalised a Leeds institution by serving award-winning food and beers in a luxury setting. 

A pub since 1925 and a brewhouse before that, the Laddie in more recent times was a hangout for ITV and Yorkshire Post staffers with Sam visiting in the early noughties when it was a locals’ pub that served Tetley's. 

Sam believes a lot of Leeds’ boozers fell foul to pub companies pursuing identical refits and area managers, rather than responsible custodians, not to mention food prepared by microwave. “I’m not saying every pub did that but a lot of heritage pubs fell into that trap,” says Sam.

This process started during the 2008 recession, becoming increasingly prevalent until the pandemic saw people reevaluate what they wanted in pubs. In Sam's view, this is what motivated the recent resurgence of interest in decent offering and smart heritage surroundings. 

Unlike the Vic, there wasn’t a huge clamour or pressure for the Laddie to deliver, Sam believes, because it traded in a run-down state for so long that it became renowned for being a tatty locals’ bar. But the new Laddie isn’t a gentrified experience. 

“The locals who enjoyed it in the 1960s, 70s and 80s are coming back,” Sam says. “These are the important customers who think it’s great because it’s a proper drinkers’ pub: if you want to sit there all day, sup two pints while reading a book that’s fine.”

The Vic, The Tetley, The Bankers Cat and Highland Laddie are keeping the spirit of the past alive, all the while infusing how we experience this history with the tastes of modern Britain.