Pub reviews

If you want to see what happens when a closed down old boozer comes back to life, then head to the White Horse in Church Fenton

The Three Cranes dates back almost certainly to the early 16th century, when there are records of it opening as a pub. Phil Penfold pays it a visit

On the hunt for a good pub in Hessle Dave Lee checks out the Pourhouse

It’s easy to forget that the Moorcock is also just a pub serving pints and bar snacks. Amanda Wragg pays a visit

I am not sure what surprised me more on an unexpected afternoon in the Dales, that we landed high up at Middlesmoor in Upper Nidderdale and discovered one of the best “proper” pubs in a long time or hearing someone in the bar of the Crown Hotel say in a no-nonsense Yorkshire way: “Well, I’ll go t’ foot of our stairs.”

Phil Penfold pays a visit to the Crown Inn, Sheffield

From the street, the only sign the pub is there is the pub sign, but once you’re through the connecting arch, it becomes apparent where it got its name. The building was once home to chandler and sailmaker EE Sharp and the pub is in what was his workshop. The shop frontage is now the solicitors. There is a courtyard, which used to house a menagerie of tropical birds but is now decorated solely with plants and flowers. Inside is a one-room pub with a range fire at one end and ships’ chattels hung from the beams and on the walls. Rumour has it that the gated door in the rear leads to a tunnel joining the cellar to St Mary’s church. Through for what purpose, no-one is quite sure. What you can be sure of is the food – solid pub grub with a decent selection of pies. All are good and served with mash or gravy or peas, but the truly brave will go for the behemoth called the Mothership – pie with mash, peas, gravy, cheddar cheese and crispy shallots. If pies aren’t your thing, there is a full menu of classic dishes and even “gourmet” chip options, with a selection of four kinds of chip and toppings such as pulled pork or beef chili. The Sailmakers Arms may be tucked away but those in the know, know how to find it. Chandlers Court, 159 High Street, Hull, HU1 1NQ Tel: 01482 227437. www.thesailmakersarms.com

Things have changed at Stubbing Wharf since Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath used to drink there as Amanda Wragg discovers

Pubs come in all sorts of guises as I found at the Angel at Topcliffe.

Whoever put pen to paper on the designs for the Three Tuns was hugely inventive. He turned out a Yorkshire version of New York’s celebrated Flatiron Building, in effect, a “wedge of Wensleydale”, triangular, with a point at one end and a flat back at the other