A good pub is a wonderful thing, and York has plenty. Huddled together inside the city walls, it’s possible to visit a dozen or more within just a short stagger. One hoary piece of York pub folklore reckons the city has a pub for every day of the year. These days that’s unlikely, but York’s beer scene has never been healthier; old pubs are reopening, new craft beer bars are cropping up and a thriving microbrewing industry keeps the hostelries supplied with excellent ales.
Many of York’s city-centre pubs are as old as it’s churches. Low ceilings, wonky floors and open fireplaces are in abundance. Most seem to also have a resident ghost or two (there’s a joke in there somewhere about spirits.)
Some pubs, like the Punchbowl on Stonegate, have been serving ale for centuries. Further up Stonegate, Ye Olde Starre Inne is probably the oldest licensed premises in the city. York’s ancient inns are as much a part of the city’s fabric as its churches and streets.
To find out more, pick a marker from the map above, or an item below, or just browse the list.
- York Arms, High PetergateA grey lady haunts this city centre pub, possibly a medieval nun, and perhaps the ...
- Ye Olde Starre Inne, StonegateBelieved to be the oldest licensed premises in the York, it consists of a 17th ...
- The Windmill, Blossom StreetThis pub is supposedly haunted by a young girl, run over by a cart, and ...
- The Snickelway Inn, GoodramgateThis pub is a 15th century galleried inn, used as a brothel and a gunpowder ...
- The Royal Oak, GoodramgateDating back to the 15th Century, there has probably been a structure on the site ...
- The Roman Bath, St Sampsons SquareWhile the pub itself is relatively modern, it sits on the site of a Roman ...
- The Red Lion, MerchantgateDating back to the 12th century, this pub was originally known as The Three Cups. ...
- The Punchbowl, StonegateThe Punch Bowl has been a pub for over four centuries. It carries an historical ...
- The Old White Swan, GoodramgateThis pub is a collection of around nine buildings, some dating back to the 16th ...
- The Hole in the Wall, High PetergateA hidden dungeon was discovered in this pub in 1816, including chains and manacles. White ...
- The Golden Slipper, GoodramgateThe building dates back to the 14th century. A medieval leather slipper was found built ...
- The Golden Fleece, PavementMentioned in York archives as far back as 1503, the pub was at one point ...
- The Cock and Bottle, SkeldergateAlthough the pub is relatively modern, it is haunted. A landlady was disturbed by a ...
- The Blue Boar, CastlegateAccording to legend, the corpse of the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin was laid out in ...
- The Black Swan, Peasholme GreenThe pub dates back to the 15th century, when it was a private house. It ...
- Jacob’s WellPreviously the parish room for the Priory Church of the Holy Trinity, this unusual medieval ...
- Guy Fawkes Inn, High PetergateGuy Fawkes, the English Catholic who plotted to assassinate King James in 1604, was born ...