GAVIN AITCHISON pays tribute to York’s longest-serving landlady who is calling time after 27 years at her pub.

THERE has been no fanfare; no great send-off; no all-night bender (as far as we know) to mark the event.

In fact, so smooth has been the handover, that even some regulars may not realise what has happened. But make no mistake – an era has ended in York’s beer scene.

A few minutes after noon on Thursday, York’s longest-serving pub landlady handed over the keys to the Golden Slipper, relinquishing control of what has been, for 27 years, unmistakeably her pub.

Anita Adams has been a linchpin in York’s pub trade for a generation. She took over the Black Horse in Monkgate in 1980, moved to the Falcon in Micklegate in 1982, and then took over at the Golden Slipper in Goodramgate in 1986. In 1992, she also bought the freehold on the Lendal Bridge Hotel.

Three of those four pubs have changed in name and nature. The Black Horse became The Tap and Spile in 1988, the Falcon, once revered, is now Rumours. And the Lendal Bridge almost immediately became The Maltings, which it has been ever since.

But the Golden Slipper has remained a timeless classic, with multiple rooms to unwind in, a miniature library to peruse, sloping floors that can catch out even the sober ones, and a lasting devotion to good beer. Anita is to thank for much of that.

The pub had a good reputation long before she took over, it should be said, even in beer’s dark ages.

Indeed York’s Camra branch is said to have been founded here 40 years ago next month, when it was one of the few with a commitment to cask ale. But many pubs that were once great have since faltered. The stability at the Slipper is remarkable.

“This pub has always been run with the same ethos,” said Anita on Thursday. “We have always liked our cask ales and always had them in, with Fred Locke before me as well. We are so proud of what we do.”

Anita has witnessed changes galore in the industry in her time, not all of them positive. The number of pubs serving top-quality beer has increased greatly but she laments the 1980s legislation that allowed so many to fall into the hands of the pubcos that care for property and baselines more than beer and pubs.

“The biggest change has been the red tape, and the beer orders were the worst thing that ever happened to the industry,” she said.

Anyone worried about major changes now that she has left, however, need not fear. The change is important, but will be scarcely noticeable. The new leaseholders are Tom and Robbie Kitt, who have been here as bar managers for the past three years. They already know the pub inside out and see no reason to change what they say is a winning formula.

“I am so happy they are taking over because the ethos is not going to change,” said Anita. “It would be no trouble if they wanted to change it, but I know they are going to love it here as much as I have. This is a lovely little pub and it’s suitable for a family.”

Tom himself has plenty of experience, not just here but also through 14 years at the Old White Swan along the road. He says there may be tweaks to food serving times to start with but no major alterations, with the pub remaining predominantly a drinkers’ pub rather than a diners’ one, serving five real ales and accommodating darts, dominoes, live music, and even a knitting club.

And will Anita miss it? “Yes and no,” she said. “My husband will be 79 in February and I am 71 now and you cannot go on for ever.” She will miss the buzz and has great memories of the pub, but retains the freehold on The Maltings so is not leaving the industry entirely.

And, she says, it will be nice to be able to go away for two weeks’ holiday without worrying about the bar back home. She may be handing over the Slipper – but it seems she won’t be donning her own ones just yet.

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