The Bulls Head
| Address | 6 Westgate |
|---|---|
| Postcode | BD17 5EJ |
| Building Date | c 17thC |
| Rebuilt | 1896 |
| Photo | |
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| Location | |
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| Google Maps | Link |
The Bulls Head is a pub on the south side of Westgate at No. 6 not far from the Towngate and the junction with Browgate.
A 17th century building on this site is thought to have been a school. The earlier building was demolished and rebuilt in 1896 and it is suggested that it was used as an Inn from late in the second half of the 19th century.[1]
The Licence Register that has been used as a source starts at 1872 for the Bulls Head, as it does for the other pubs of the area. In the register there is no indication of a change around 1896, Joseph Leng taking over as from William Tennant on 5 July 1895 until Tom Jackson became licencee on 16 Sept 1904 which suggests Joseph was licencee during the rebuild.
One of the upper rooms of the old building had the Royal Coat of Arms moulded into the plaster above the fireplace. This was brought to the attention of W Paley Baildon, and mentioned in the first volume of his work, by Mr Henry Marshall of Delph Hill[2]
In the works of John La Page and Paley Baildon there are several mentions of the Bulls Head having been a place for strolling players, flute bands and country theatre. John La Page also mentions that William Tennant, licencee from 1884 to 1895, used to have a barrel of beer with a tap at each end - one for best the other for ordinary.
The licence register has an entry for The Bulls Head saying 1874 Oct 23. William Crabtree fined £5 & Costs for permitting drunkenness.[3] This entry is first listed on the page that covers 1872 to 1875 and is repeated on each of the 3 pages for the years 1876-1881, 1882-1887, 1888-1893
In the Licence Register the Particulars of Licence column for The Bulls Head is Beer (on)
1929 advert - The Bulls Head, Westgate. Prop Louis Wilcock. Tetley's Fine Ales.[4] Although Wm Whitaker & Co Ltd. owned The Bull's Head they had stopped brewing in 1928 but continued to operate as bottlers, wine and spirit merchants thus allowing The Bull's Head to already promote Tetley's Fine Ales. It was not until 1959 that Tetleys acquired Wm Whitaker & Co Ltd.
- 2018 FOI request - Bulls Head Inn - Punch Partnership (PTL) Ltd - Mrs Juanita Kearns.
Licencees[5]
Please read the page Licencees, sources for information about where a lot of the licencee names and owner names have come from.
1872 to 1955
| Licencee | Date | Owner[6] |
|---|---|---|
| Crabtree, William | 1872 Aug 30 | Thomas Hollings, Manningham |
| Joseph Bentley | 1875 July 2 | |
| Mark Cockerton | 1879 Aug 29 | |
| Robert Powell | 1884 Aug 15 | Herbert J.B. Hollings, The Watchells, Frimley, Surrey |
| William Tennant | 1884 Nov 9 | |
| Joseph Leng | 1895 Jul 5 | Wm Whitaker & Co Ltd.[7] |
| Tom Jackson | 1904 Sep 16 | |
| Timothy Wilson | 1905 Jul 21 | |
| Jonathan Binns | 1907 Nov 1 | |
| Mary Ellen Binns | 1917 Aug 17 | |
| John Hartley Walsh | 1921 May 20 | |
| Bessie Walsh | 1923 Apr 6 | |
| William Whipp | (Tempy 1923 Dec 7) 1924 Jan 25 | |
| William Edward Birtle | 1927 May 20 | |
| Louis Wilcock | 1928 Sept 21 | |
| Martha Wilcock | (Temp 1930 Oct 10) 1930 Oct 31 | |
| Alfred Worsman | (Tempy 1931 Nov 13) 1831 Dec 11 | |
| Percy Roberts | (Tempy 1933 Feb 10) 1933 Apr 7 | |
| Arthur Mitchell | (Tempy. 1940 Mar 29) 1940 Apr 12 | |
| Francis Candwell | 1943 Oct 29 | |
| Mary Ethelina Bentley | 1952 Jan 5 | |
| Transferred to Bingley Petty Sessional Division 31 Dec 1955 | ||
1955 onwards
| Licencee | Date | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Tetleys acquire Wm Whitaker & Co Ltd. | |
| John Barras brand (part of Spirit) | ||
| 2015 | John Barras brand (Spirit acquired by Greene King) |
Photos
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Bulls Head between 1895 & 1904
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View from Towngate
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Bulls Head, 2002
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Bulls Head, 2009
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Side of Bulls Head, 2012
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Sign at Bulls Head, 2012
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Bulls Head, 2013
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Bulls Head, 2018
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Goose Eye Brewery sign, Bull's Head, 2021
Two versions of the 1895-1904 photo are in circulation. The one here is better exposed but the sign over the door on the other is slightly clearer. It is not really legible but when checking against the Licence Register it is clear that it can only be Joseph Lengwhich dates the photo between 1895 and 1904.
In the 2002 and 2009 photos the suspended sign is a solid timber painted Bulls Head and the lettering on the side of the building gold on green. Compare this with the ones from 2012 & '13 where the suspended sign is a cut out metal Bulls Head, the side is gold on black with a gold Bulls Head. The sign on the side of the building follows the line of the roof both top and bottom but with no adjacent buildings requiring the bottom angle, however the View From Towngate photo shows adjoining buildings and the sign following the roof-line.
References
- ↑ The Story of Baildon. John La Page
- ↑ Baildon and the Baildons. W Paley Baildon.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hand written entries in the Register of Licenses granted in the Division of Otley in the West Riding of the County of York
- ↑ 1929 Baildon Carnival Handbook
- ↑ Licencees, sources
- ↑ Dates for the change in owner are only approximate
- ↑ Brewerypedia has a date of March 1895 against the Bulls Head for Wm Whitaker
