Real ale enthusiasts take over The Woolpack Inn in Fawcett Street

9:45am Friday 11th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk

The Woolpack Inn in Fawcett Street, York, is expected to reopen by the end of the month The Woolpack Inn in Fawcett Street, York, is expected to reopen by the end of the month

TWO real ale enthusiasts who have transformed the fortunes of a York pub look set to bring their winning formula to another business.

Paul Crossman, landlord of The Swan in Bishopthorpe Road, and business partner Jon Farrow are set to take over The Woolpack Inn in Fawcett Street. They have already gained the backing of one of Yorkshire’s most famous breweries.

As well as The Swan, the pair also own the nearby Slip Inn and the Volunteer Arms in Holgate.

Mr Crossman, 44, said: “We are buying these pubs off the big pub companies because they are struggling to make them work. The Slip was really struggling, but I think we would have quadrupled its turnover.

“With The Woolpack we are going to stick to what we know. We don’t do food, but we are all about community – that’s what we like. It’s just outside the city centre, but it will also have a community feel about it.

“It seems to work well; if people are interested in real ale it’s not too far for them to walk from the centre and if you live nearby you have a very nice local pub.”

Mr Crossman said his latest venture has had a huge boost from West Yorkshire brewery, Timothy Taylor, which produces the popular Landlord ale.

He said: “We have got together with one of the most prestigious breweries in Yorkshire and we are going to have five of their beers on permanently.

“It’s very flattering that they are trusting us with their brand.”

However, he stressed The Woolpack will be a free house and stock a wide range of beers.

The pub will now close for a minor refurbishment and is expected to reopen under its new ownership at the end of January.

Comments(33)

cityforthepremier says...
9:46am Fri 11 Jan 13

Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!

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anti-rant says...
10:02am Fri 11 Jan 13

Landlord is one of the finest pints around.

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Gladys Cheesepick says...
10:27am Fri 11 Jan 13

cityforthepremier wrote:
Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Probably a John Smiths or Tetley man!

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cityforthepremier says...
10:30am Fri 11 Jan 13

Gladys Cheesepick wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote:
Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Probably a John Smiths or Tetley man!
****! The best local beers are Rudgate, Treebom and Cropton. That new Hop Studio stuff is pretty good too. Timmy Taylor's is just mass-produced dross and way over priced.

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cityforthepremier says...
10:32am Fri 11 Jan 13

Hey Mr Censor, I only said b0llocks! And I should of course said Treboom.

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NickPheas says...
10:35am Fri 11 Jan 13

Tim Taylor's is reliable rather than exciting. Wouldn't look for it on a bar, but it's often a welcome haven when the alternative is frozen to death John Smiths.

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gmc_1963 says...
11:26am Fri 11 Jan 13

cityforthepremier wrote:
Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Tim Taylor's is a brewer not a beer.
I assume you mean Landlord and have never had any of their other beers.

It's so awful that it was won Champion Beer of Britain four times and been runner up three times.

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cityforthepremier says...
11:42am Fri 11 Jan 13

gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote:
Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Tim Taylor's is a brewer not a beer.
I assume you mean Landlord and have never had any of their other beers.

It's so awful that it was won Champion Beer of Britain four times and been runner up three times.
So what? Some people like it some people don't. I'm sure Fosters' lager has won an award somewhere down the line, doesn't mean it's a nice drink. What matters to me is what I like, not what you like. What you like is up to you.

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Big Bad Wolf says...
11:46am Fri 11 Jan 13

Black Sheep... Nectar!!

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Trespar Zagenstuz says...
11:48am Fri 11 Jan 13

It is most gratifying to see small entrepreneurial breweries and pub-owners being a thriving force in York. Moreover, if The Woolpack is anything to go by, it;s a pub that sells itself essentially on the beer that is to be had, and so far no mention of 'wide screens'.

Incidentally, Timothy Taylors produce splendid beers. I am very glad that The Woolpack is going to offer them , amongst other beers. I trust York's own brewery will be represented on occasion.
Just so long as that freezing fizzy pint of chemical froth produced by John Smiths is not on offer.
Cheers!

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gmc_1963 says...
12:22pm Fri 11 Jan 13

cityforthepremier wrote:
gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote: Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Tim Taylor's is a brewer not a beer. I assume you mean Landlord and have never had any of their other beers. It's so awful that it was won Champion Beer of Britain four times and been runner up three times.
So what? Some people like it some people don't. I'm sure Fosters' lager has won an award somewhere down the line, doesn't mean it's a nice drink. What matters to me is what I like, not what you like. What you like is up to you.
I was not expressing my opinion about the beer, but facts.
You were the one dismissing it as awful.

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cityforthepremier says...
12:34pm Fri 11 Jan 13

gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote:
gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote: Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Tim Taylor's is a brewer not a beer. I assume you mean Landlord and have never had any of their other beers. It's so awful that it was won Champion Beer of Britain four times and been runner up three times.
So what? Some people like it some people don't. I'm sure Fosters' lager has won an award somewhere down the line, doesn't mean it's a nice drink. What matters to me is what I like, not what you like. What you like is up to you.
I was not expressing my opinion about the beer, but facts.
You were the one dismissing it as awful.
Landlord is awful beer and, if you are dealing in "facts", then check any catalogue and compare the price of a barrel of Landlord with other, better, beers. It's nearly double the price of some other award winners (more facts). Next you'll be telling me that because some boyband has been voted most popular in some X-Factor type contest I have no right to think their music is garbage.

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Minguel says...
1:03pm Fri 11 Jan 13

cityforthepremier wrote:
gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote:
gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote: Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Tim Taylor's is a brewer not a beer. I assume you mean Landlord and have never had any of their other beers. It's so awful that it was won Champion Beer of Britain four times and been runner up three times.
So what? Some people like it some people don't. I'm sure Fosters' lager has won an award somewhere down the line, doesn't mean it's a nice drink. What matters to me is what I like, not what you like. What you like is up to you.
I was not expressing my opinion about the beer, but facts.
You were the one dismissing it as awful.
Landlord is awful beer and, if you are dealing in "facts", then check any catalogue and compare the price of a barrel of Landlord with other, better, beers. It's nearly double the price of some other award winners (more facts). Next you'll be telling me that because some boyband has been voted most popular in some X-Factor type contest I have no right to think their music is garbage.
Calm down chaps! It's only beer! Live and let live etc..

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binsysmith says...
1:22pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Gladys Cheesepick wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote:
Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Probably a John Smiths or Tetley man!
Or dare I say it...... Sams!!

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scrayingham sid says...
1:27pm Fri 11 Jan 13

where can I get this catalogue that sells beer by the barrel?

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eeoodares says...
1:41pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Well done lads.

I like Tim Taylor, but if you are going to turn your counters over to their beers, there is little point in being an independent.

Please do not brand your pubs. I love the Slip!

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YorkPatrol says...
1:55pm Fri 11 Jan 13

This is a genuine question – why is it all real ale “enthusiasts” have beards and take great pride in asking for their pints to be topped up if anything less than 1mm from the fill level?

Beards Link

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williamssheri85 says...
2:18pm Fri 11 Jan 13

If I'm honest I can see this going down hill, this was my local and by all accounts they are now taking out the pool table and cancelling all kareoke/pool/darts nights and taking off their cask. Well thats all the regulars gone and there two busiest nights gone. Also cancelling their cask and fosters that all the regulats drink. Generally a disaster plus the bar staff there were irreplaceable!

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PKH says...
4:05pm Fri 11 Jan 13

williamssheri85 wrote:
If I'm honest I can see this going down hill, this was my local and by all accounts they are now taking out the pool table and cancelling all kareoke/pool/darts nights and taking off their cask. Well thats all the regulars gone and there two busiest nights gone. Also cancelling their cask and fosters that all the regulats drink. Generally a disaster plus the bar staff there were irreplaceable!
Glad I've never been in if it's cask and fosters

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Prob says...
4:33pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Most of Timmy T's beers are average.

Bit of a joke that people are suggesting others "must like Johns or Tetley's" for saying so.

I much prefer a pub to have a rotating selection of casks (which many do) rather than just relying on multiple selections from the same brewer.

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scrayingham sid says...
4:44pm Fri 11 Jan 13

williamssheri85 wrote:
If I'm honest I can see this going down hill, this was my local and by all accounts they are now taking out the pool table and cancelling all kareoke/pool/darts nights and taking off their cask. Well thats all the regulars gone and there two busiest nights gone. Also cancelling their cask and fosters that all the regulats drink. Generally a disaster plus the bar staff there were irreplaceable!
if the pub was such a success before then why has it been sold? You have to change things to survive & if the format works elsewhere then why not go with it! - Also Taylors Landlord is the best beer in Yorkshire bar none!

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Daley Mayall says...
5:18pm Fri 11 Jan 13

williamssheri85 wrote:
If I'm honest I can see this going down hill, this was my local and by all accounts they are now taking out the pool table and cancelling all kareoke/pool/darts nights and taking off their cask. Well thats all the regulars gone and there two busiest nights gone. Also cancelling their cask and fosters that all the regulats drink. Generally a disaster plus the bar staff there were irreplaceable!
Good news - another real ale pub! The place certainly needs a revamp to entice new custom through the door as in its current guise, there's hardly room to swing a cat, so ditching the pool table and John Smith's is a good start. Hopefully the decor will be given a fresh look too as opposed to the dated look it presently has. Ditching the karaoke is a good idea as it only encouraged drunken gypsies who liked a 'late taste' on Friday nights. They can pop to Loop 50 yards away which other travellers frequent - up their street in more ways than one.

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nearlyman says...
6:31pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Only a stonesthrow from the wonderful Phoenix,....Hope it doesnt have a detrimental effect on that pubs trade, other than creating the beginnings of a rather good pub crawl in that locality !

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williamssheri85 says...
7:06pm Fri 11 Jan 13

They only sold due to landlord and lady leaving for personal reasons. It has been a very local pub and a lovely pub and will now be full of snobs. The pool and kareoke nights pull in more money than any others tso to scrap them is just beyond stupid. Clearly you are all a but stuck up to claim it is just full of travellers. In fact it is a lot of normal regulars who used to go in just for the landlord/lady and bar staff, kareoke nights and the pool table. It might not be the busiest pub in york no, but it is the only one I know anyone can walk into and feel welcome. Thanks to the staff in there. I know a lot of people will not be wanting to walk into a stuck up pub like it will become.

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eeoodares says...
7:29pm Fri 11 Jan 13

williamssheri85 wrote:
They only sold due to landlord and lady leaving for personal reasons. It has been a very local pub and a lovely pub and will now be full of snobs. The pool and kareoke nights pull in more money than any others tso to scrap them is just beyond stupid. Clearly you are all a but stuck up to claim it is just full of travellers. In fact it is a lot of normal regulars who used to go in just for the landlord/lady and bar staff, kareoke nights and the pool table. It might not be the busiest pub in york no, but it is the only one I know anyone can walk into and feel welcome. Thanks to the staff in there. I know a lot of people will not be wanting to walk into a stuck up pub like it will become.
You are very very wrong, it was sold because it was failing. It took a long time to sell because it was pretty grotty and was not turning a profit.

If your idea of a 'stuck up' pup is one where you do not stick to the carpet whilst quaffing alcho-pops and listening to drunk Brenda singing Delilah then this place probably will not be for you.

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Giveitachance says...
8:02pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Calm your passions people!!!

Firstly....the pool table takes up half the pub and the pub is tiny already.

Secondly... Who said cask was being removed??? Stop listening to everything you hear. And who said there won't be any rotating guest ales AS WELL AS the full range of Taylor's beers?!

I think people need to stop listening to gossip and give the new owners the chance to at least open the doors before you condemn it to 'going downhill'. If you just wait and give it a chance maybe you'll realise that the new owners are very mindful of existing regulars and staff, as they have been in their other pubs.

I can't wait :-)

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who2believe says...
8:20pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Big Bad Wolf wrote:
Black Sheep... Nectar!!
I'll second that.

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marvell says...
9:20pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Wow - this has created some heat amongst York drinkers.

I can only see the place getting better to be honest. I for one think Timothy Taylors are not relevant any more - they have been overtaken by many microbreweries on the taste and innovation stakes.

"Landlord" is nothing like it used to be due to mass production - it was sensational when I first came to York and drank in't John Bull and Spread Eagle. Lost any of the delicate hoppiness that made it one of the greats. It's a national brand now rather than a good beer.

That said - as the article mentions - there will be other beers on as well so looks very promising...

Only potential sticky moment will be explaining to Timothy Taylors why their beer is being outsold 8-1 by small local microbreweries !!!! ;o)

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YorkieTalkie says...
10:59pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Hear hear for another sister pub to The Swan, The Slip, and The Volley! The beer choice will no doubt be good (Timmy Taylor's is still a great brand, but is being outpaced by the many quality breweries that have prospered over the last 10 years).

I used to drink lager until I discovered my taste buds worked, and 'nowt beats a good pint of Yorkshire beer (with a few German and Belgian exceptions).

And no, I don't have a beard!

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Malcolm says...
2:18am Sat 12 Jan 13

I guess we have to be grateful that it's not going to become residential units or a boutique hotel or restaurant/bistro, as mentioned as possibilities in the Barry Crux listing.

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BKKYorkshireboy says...
2:33pm Sat 12 Jan 13

cityforthepremier wrote:
gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote:
gmc_1963 wrote:
cityforthepremier wrote: Tim Taylor's is awful beer and one of the most expensive to buy at over £100 a barrel from most suppliers!
Tim Taylor's is a brewer not a beer. I assume you mean Landlord and have never had any of their other beers. It's so awful that it was won Champion Beer of Britain four times and been runner up three times.
So what? Some people like it some people don't. I'm sure Fosters' lager has won an award somewhere down the line, doesn't mean it's a nice drink. What matters to me is what I like, not what you like. What you like is up to you.
I was not expressing my opinion about the beer, but facts.
You were the one dismissing it as awful.
Landlord is awful beer and, if you are dealing in "facts", then check any catalogue and compare the price of a barrel of Landlord with other, better, beers. It's nearly double the price of some other award winners (more facts). Next you'll be telling me that because some boyband has been voted most popular in some X-Factor type contest I have no right to think their music is garbage.
You are a very opinionated man mr city4theprem!! Have you tried a pint of Ram Tam? Its sometimes on in Brigantes and is one of my favourite beers. No doubt you will dismiss it as a load of rubbish tho!!

If this pub is half as successful and good as their other pubs then it will be a big improvement! The pool table, John Smiths/ Fosters and karaoke nights sound horrific!! Glad I have not entered the premises before!!

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red1972 says...
1:31am Sun 13 Jan 13

A welcome addition to the independent pub scene in York I think, for all those who are dismissing this pub before it re opens its doors...why don't you try it,who knows you might like it! I know all three of the other pubs that these guys have and they are all lovely welcoming pubs with great beer. My personal view is in this difficult time for the pub industry, surely we should be supporting our local community pubs and not being so judgemental.

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Yorkmackem says...
11:26am Sun 13 Jan 13

Glad to hear it, this was one of the very few pubs in York which I found genuinely intimidating. The Brown Cow is another.

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