2 pubs reopen after big refurbishments

A few weeks ago we welcomed the major makeover at The Windmill in Blossom Street, and now it's the turn of regulars at two local villages to raise a glass.

The Charles XII in Heslington and The Duke of York in Gate Helmsley have reopened, following reported investments of £210,000 and £165,000 respectively.

Let's start in Heslington, at a pub that has gone through many changes in its time.

Until 1823, this pub at the top of Main Street was known as The Robin Hood. By 1828, it had been renamed as The Horse, but for one reason or another that name didn't stick either, and by 1834 it had been renamed as The Chestnut Horse.

The Charles XII in Heslington in years gone by. Picture courtesy of thecardindex.com

A few years later, Chestnut was dropped and the pub became The Bay Horse.

And then, within three years, the pub was rebranding itself once more, with a fifth name in 20 years.

This time though, the name was chosen in honour of a local success story.

Charles the Twelfth was a famous racehorse owned by Lord Yarburgh of nearby Heslington Hall. In a four-year career, he won 19 of his 34 races, most famously beating Euclid in a run-off for the 1839 St Leger, after the initial race had ended in a dead-heat.

He was retired in 1843, and - then or thenabouts - the pub a stone's throw from Heslington Hall was given his name, a name that it has kept ever since. Fifth time lucky, you might say.

The pub faithfully served villagers for more than a century thereafter, as village pubs do. And then, as the University of York grew and grew in the late 20th century, it morphed into something different.

This is one of the first York pubs I visited, shortly after arriving as a student at the turn of this century. At that time, it was very much a student pub, driven by cheap promotions and copious amounts of mediocre beer.

But it feels much less garish now, and the beer selection is immeasurably better.

Manager Kerry Paine outside the pub

The owners, Stonegate Pub Company, say the refurbishment has included some internal renovation work, new decoration, the addition of a new outside bar area and a large barbecue.

If your eyesight is good enough, you'll see the beer selection in the top photo on this articles included Comfortably Numb by BAD Co at Dishforth, and the ever-excellent Blackout by Great Yorkshire Brewery at Cropton.

Sadly, however, both had gone by the time I popped in on Wednesday. In their place were a couple of beers from Naylor's, and two from Sonnet 43 brewery: Bourbon Milk Stout and Steam Amber Ale.

The pub, perhaps inevitably, feels rather more like a chain rather than an intimate village inn (in contrast, say, to The Deramore Arms down the road), but it the beer's excellent, the menu is wide and varied and includes a raft of special promotions and discounts such as pie and a pint for £5.99 on Wednesdays, two meals for £8.99 from a selected list, and two-for-one desserts.

All real ales are £2.25 a pint on Tuesdays, and if the beer range remains as impressive as it has been then that should tempt many.

The pub has both BT Sports and Sky Sports, which may appeal or repel you depending on your tastes.

General manager Kerry Payne said: "The investment couldn’t have come at a better time, with spring and summer right around the corner, improvements to our pub and beer garden, will make the Charles XII the hottest pub in town. We are very much a community and student pub - that won’t change.”

Over at Gate Helmsley, meanwhile, The Duke of York is toasting its refurbishment.

Staff there say the pub has been "completely transformed" inside and out, and there is a new menu using more locally-sourced produce.

Publican Antony Pratt said: “This has been a very exciting project for all of us and we have been overwhelmed by the great response from customers old and new.”

Local MP Kevin Hollinrake was guest for the launch and said: "It’s fantastic to see this great local pub restored to its rightful place at the heart of the community."