EVER wondered what a tun was? No, neither had Bar Talk, but we've found out anyway in the course of exhaustive research. A tun, we can reveal, is a the largest size of beer cask, holding a whopping 216 gallons of the brown stuff.

And one pub in York has three of them (total capacity 648 gallons, enough to supply a Premiership footballer for a week).

No wonder The Three Tuns is popular.

This mellow hostelry has been serving beer, from tuns or otherwise, to thirsty York residents since the 1700s, perhaps even earlier. And on Thursday it reopened its doors after a ten-day refurbishment.

For licensee Jenni Wilson, it was a little odd to watch her regulars pass by outside unable to pop in for a drink. But now they're back, and they like the new look.

Thankfully, it's very much a careful redecoration rather than a full Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen makeover. A lick of paint has been applied internally and externally (the jury's still out on the biscuit colour around the windows). A new carpet cushions your feet and new upholstery cushions your bottom.

"We didn't want to change any of the character," Jenni said. "That's what all the customers come in for.

"There's no way to change it structurally. We wanted to brighten and freshen it up.

"Everybody likes it. They say it looks bigger."

Jenni is delighted with it. She has been at the helm for 15 months, previously acting as a relief manager for owners Wolverhampton & Dudley Brewery all over the North.

Originally from South Shields, and having spent many formative years in Yarm, she told bosses: "The furthest south I will go is York."

They took her at her word and The Three Tuns was hers.

The Coppergate pub has always attracted a mix of age groups, and this helps the "friendly, happy atmosphere" Jenni loves.

Tourists and shoppers are now taking advantage of the meal offer: two courses for £4.95 between 2pm and 5pm. Beer is Mansfield Cask and Smooth and Pedigree.

Jenni lives above the bar, seemingly unconcerned that she shares the building with a Three Tuns ghost.

"You get customers asking whether there was once a doorway through a wall at the back, because they have seen someone coming through the wall and following staff.

"And some of the staff have heard their name called, looked round and there's no one there.

"It doesn't put me off. I always say so long as it stays downstairs and out of my flat, I don't care."

Look out for new quiz nights at the Three Tuns soon, open to everyone except the walking dead.

- JUST as one door reopens, so another door, er, reopens...

The Lendal Cellars flung open its subterranean doors last night to show off its £55,000 new look.

The York pub, aka the Hogshead, is run by Jo Mills.

"The place looks great," she said. "I've got loads of great ideas planned for the Cellars ranging from Quiz Nights to special events like the recent Bavarian Beer Night, which went down like a storm."

Bar Talk plans to visit soon, and will report back.

- NEXT month, Scarborough hosts the CAMRA AGM (to save on ink, we've decided not to spell out "the Campaign for Real Ale annual general meeting" in full, because we're sure you knew that already).

The event takes place at the Spa Complex between April 5 and 7, so CAMRA's in-house organ, What's Brewing, has devoted this month's centre spread to the brewery tours on offer nearby.

This describes York Brewery's decor as "eclectic": "the corner with the pink three-piece suite (circa 1958), old radio and pile of books... is especially attractive," Arthur Taylor writes.

He also visited the Wawne Brewery, run by Mike Gadie from behind Hodgson's pub, opposite the Army Transport Museum in Beverley.

Mike is planning to bring the brewery inside the pub, behind glass, so it becomes part of the action. What a great idea.

Arthur also took a tour around The Crown Hotel, Malton, and the New Inn at Cropton.

That so many fine venues exist makes Bar Talk proud to live here.

- FINALLY, if you find yourself north of Knaresborough and in need of some sustenance, why not try out the Royal Oak, Burton Leonard?

John and Julie Burrows have taken over there with a pledge to make it one of the best food pubs in the area.

John has been a chef for 20 years. Most recently he was head chef at the Chimney Pots restaurant in Harrogate's Grants Hotel.

Food is served at the Royal Oak between noon and 1.30pm and 6.30pm and 9pm Tuesday-Saturday, and between noon and 2pm Sunday.

Updated: 09:05 Saturday, March 02, 2002