Yorkshire Chronicles

Yorkshire Chronicles Yorkshire’s past brought back to life—forgotten pubs, legendary nights, local characters and rare photos. Submissions from non-followers may be removed.

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🍺 THE BLACK BULL, HORSFORTH — WHO REMEMBERS THEIR FIRST PINT HERE?I photographed the Black Bull on The Green, and its hi...
30/09/2026

🍺 THE BLACK BULL, HORSFORTH — WHO REMEMBERS THEIR FIRST PINT HERE?

I photographed the Black Bull on The Green, and its history goes back much further than you might expect.

According to Horsforth Museum, its origins lie in a cottage built around 1654. After alterations and extensions, John Lapish opened it as a beerhouse in 1758. That’s 268 years since its first licence—and plenty of time for a few good stories! (horsforthmuseum.blogspot.com)

By 1834, it was recorded as the Black Bull in the Leeds Trades Directory. It once had a bowling green on the site of the old village pinfold—the enclosure where stray livestock were kept—and a large kitchen garden. Quite a different scene from the one we see today. (pickardproperties.co.uk)

But the dates only tell part of a pub’s story. The rest belongs to the people who drank there, worked behind the bar and made it their local.

What years did you go to the Black Bull, and who do you remember? Any memorable landlords, landladies, bar staff or nights out?

📸 If you have old photographs of the pub, inside or out, please send them to me by Messenger. I’d love to feature them on Yorkshire Chronicles, with credit to you.

Tag someone who’ll have a story to tell—and follow Yorkshire Chronicles for more local history and memories.

Photograph: Sean-Jordan Baruch, digitally enhanced.
Historical sources: Horsforth Museum and Pickard Properties’ The Masons on The Green history.

HORSFORTH, WHO REMEMBERS THIS LITTLE BUILDING?I spotted this red-brick building at 13 Town Street and couldn’t stop look...
30/09/2026

HORSFORTH, WHO REMEMBERS THIS LITTLE BUILDING?

I spotted this red-brick building at 13 Town Street and couldn’t stop looking at the curved top and patterned brickwork. It’s Horsforth Takeaway today, but what was here before?

Was it a shop you visited, somewhere you worked, or a place your family talked about? I’d love to hear the names you remember — and roughly what years you remember them from.

If you have an old photo of this stretch of Town Street, please send it to Yorkshire Chronicles by Messenger. I’ll credit you if you’re happy for me to share it.

📸 Photo: Sean-Jordan Baruch | Yorkshire Chronicles

FROM OTLEY TO HORSFORTH FOR A COFFEE ☕I made the trip from Otley to Costa on Horsforth’s Town Street, and I’d happily do...
28/09/2026

FROM OTLEY TO HORSFORTH FOR A COFFEE ☕

I made the trip from Otley to Costa on Horsforth’s Town Street, and I’d happily do it again. The coffee was spot on, the staff knew their craft, and it had that easy atmosphere where you can sit for a while and watch the town go by.

The building caught my eye too. Before the coffee cups and cake counter, 38 Town Street was a Lloyds bank. I love seeing an old Town Street building find another use. (costa.co.uk, santander.co.uk)

Horsforth itself is well worth a wander while you’re there. Have you been into this Costa yet? And who remembers going into the building when it was a bank?

📸 Photos: Sean-Jordan Baruch
Yorkshire Chronicles

🍻 Dales folk — who remembers the Mannville Arms in Bradford?If you travelled into Bradford for a night out, you might we...
28/09/2026

🍻 Dales folk — who remembers the Mannville Arms in Bradford?

If you travelled into Bradford for a night out, you might well have ended up at the bottom of Great Horton Road, opposite Bradford College.

The Mannville was a meeting place for punks, rockers, goths, metal fans and students. Some went for the jukebox. Some went to meet their mates. And some called in for one pint and were still there hours later.

It became Scruffy Murphy’s in 1995, then The Head. The Mannville name returned in the late 2000s, with live bands and DJ nights, before the pub eventually closed.

Did you come in from the Dales to drink there? Where were you travelling from, what years were you going, and who was usually with you? Better still, what song takes you straight back inside?

If you’ve got an old Mannville photo, flyer or ticket, please send it to me by Messenger. I’d love to add it to the Yorkshire Chronicles archive and credit you.

Share this with the mate who always said, “We’ll just have one.” They know who they are. 🍻

Photo credit: Northern Stories

Sean-Jordan Baruch
Yorkshire Chronicles

28/09/2026

📍 HAWORTH MAIN STREET — A VIEW BUILT BY HISTORY

There are some Yorkshire streets you simply walk down—and others that make you stop, turn around and take everything in.

This is Haworth’s famous cobbled Main Street, tumbling steeply through rows of weathered stone buildings before opening onto the green folds of the Worth Valley.

For me, this photograph also carries a personal connection: I was born just eight miles north of where this picture was taken. Yorkshire isn’t merely somewhere I photograph—it is part of who I am.

Haworth’s story began long before the Brontës. The earliest known reference to a settlement here dates from the 12th century. The old village developed around two separate greens—Town Green at the top and Hall Green below—with the route that became Main Street connecting them. (bradford.gov.uk)

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, cottages and workshops spread along these steep lanes as Haworth’s textile industry expanded. Mills appeared beside the river, drawing more workers and families into the village. The stone houses, uneven rooflines, chimneys and surviving shopfronts still reveal how Haworth grew gradually rather than according to any grand plan. Bradford Council describes this character perfectly as a kind of “chaotic charm.” (bradford.gov.uk)

Patrick Brontë arrived with his family in 1820. Charlotte, Emily and Anne would go on to write works that carried the name of this small Yorkshire village around the world.

Yet Victorian Haworth was far removed from the romantic destination we see today. It was overcrowded, industrial and desperately short of proper sanitation. Disease spread quickly, leading Patrick Brontë to commission the important 1850 report that helped bring improvements to the village. (bronte.org.uk)

Then, in 1867, the railway arrived—opening Haworth to a much wider world. (bradford.gov.uk)

Today, thousands come to walk these cobbles, visit the Brontë Parsonage and look across the same moorland landscape that helped inspire some of English literature’s greatest novels.

But beneath the cafés, shops and visitors, the old village is still here.

The stone still carries the weather.
The chimneys still punctuate the skyline.
And Main Street still leads the eye from village life into open Yorkshire countryside.

What memories do you have of Haworth? Have you ever attempted this climb—or sensibly walked downhill instead?

Please share the post and follow Yorkshire Chronicles as we continue recording the places, people and stories that shaped our county.

📸 Photograph by Sean‑Jordan Baruch
📚 Historical sources: Bradford Council’s Haworth Conservation Area Appraisal and the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

Otley before the camera — and the story behind its nameTake a look at this painting of Otley Bridge and the River Wharfe...
27/09/2026

Otley before the camera — and the story behind its name

Take a look at this painting of Otley Bridge and the River Wharfe. William Hodges painted it around 1783, giving us one of the earliest dated views of the town I’ve found. The bridge is familiar, but look at the open landscape around it. What do you recognise? 🎨

Now go back another 800 years and Otley’s name looked rather different.

An Old English record from between 972 and 992 calls the place Ottanlege. The name combines Otta, a person’s name, with lēah, meaning a wood or clearing in woodland. In plain English, Otley means “Otta’s woodland clearing.” By the Domesday survey of 1086, it appeared as Otelai or Othelai.

We don’t know who Otta was. The records preserve the name of a place associated with them, but tell us nothing about the person. That’s the fascinating bit: a name spoken over a thousand years ago is still on our street signs today.

A big thank you to Robert Hartling for suggesting I look into where Otley got its name.

Which detail in Hodges’s painting catches your eye? And does anyone have an older picture of Otley? Please send historic photographs or artwork to Yorkshire Chronicles by Messenger so I can archive them and credit you.

🎨 Painting: William Hodges, Otley Bridge on the River Wharfe, c.1783. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.

📚 Historical sources: Archbishop Oswald’s estate record (Electronic Sawyer, S 1453); F. W. Moorman, The Place-Names of the West Riding of Yorkshire; Domesday Book place-name forms.

27/09/2026

The Bowling Green in the sunshine yesterday. It’s one of those Otley places where you can sit down for one drink and end up staying all afternoon. 🍺

What’s your best memory of this place? I’d love to hear it in the comments.

Follow Yorkshire Chronicles for more Otley stories and videos.

HORSFORTH: HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU WALKED PAST THIS BUILDING?This is the Mechanics Institution on Town Street. Look abov...
27/09/2026

HORSFORTH: HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU WALKED PAST THIS BUILDING?

This is the Mechanics Institution on Town Street. Look above the doorway and you can still see its name and the date 1881 carved into the stone.

It was built as a mechanics’ institution and later became Horsforth Library. The building is now Grade II listed. That big arched window over the entrance is hard to miss once you look up!

Did you use the library here, attend an event, or work in the building? I’d love to hear what you remember. And if you have an old photograph, please send it to Yorkshire Chronicles by Messenger so I can archive it and credit you.

📷 Photo: Sean-Jordan Baruch

💙 PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH WALK — OTLEY 💙🚶‍♂️ Sunday 25th October | 11:00am📍 Starting at Kirkgate Arcade, OtleyJoin us f...
26/09/2026

💙 PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH WALK — OTLEY 💙

🚶‍♂️ Sunday 25th October | 11:00am
📍 Starting at Kirkgate Arcade, Otley

Join us for a special Prostate Cancer Research Walk, organised by Mr Reid Haddow and Otley Rotary Club, raising donations for Prostate Cancer Research.

📸 I’m proud to be the official photographer for The Yorkshire Chronicle for this special walk, capturing the people, moments and community spirit throughout the day and helping to highlight this important cause.

We’ll set off from Kirkgate Arcade, Otley and walk down towards Wharfemeadows Park, across to White Bridge and Gallows Hill Nature Reserve, before returning to Otley.

🌳 Approximately 5 miles in total
⏱️ A relaxed one-hour walk
🐶 Dogs welcome
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Children welcome
❤️ Everyone is welcome!

After the walk, we’ll head back to Java Coffee House in Kirkgate Arcade for some well-earned special teas and coffees and a chance to come together, chat and support this important cause.

💙 ALL DONATIONS WILL GO TO PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH.

And from someone with a very personal reason for supporting this cause:

> **“Please get it checked, fellas — it could save your life. It did mine.”**

Prostate cancer can affect families and communities everywhere. This walk is about raising awareness, supporting research and encouraging men to take their health seriously.

So bring your family, bring your friends, bring the dog — and come and walk with us. 🐕💙

📅 SUNDAY 25TH OCTOBER
🕚 11:00AM
📍 KIRKGATE ARCADE, OTLEY

📸 Official photography by The Yorkshire Chronicles official photographer Sean-Jordan Baruch

Walk together. Raise awareness. Support research. Help save lives. 💙

As the wind blows…. Have a fab weekend 🎩🎶🍺🥃Sean-Jordan BaruchYorkshire Chronicles
26/09/2026

As the wind blows…. Have a fab weekend 🎩🎶🍺🥃

Sean-Jordan Baruch
Yorkshire Chronicles

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