-The Blue Bell-
|
|
Look & Feel:
|
|
|
Toilets:
|
|
Review:
Hidden away behind a very unassuming façade of glazed red bricks is the very quaint and very small Blue Bell, a perfect example of an Edwardian pub. The entrance leads down a small corridor with the main room to the front and a slightly larger Smoke Room to the rear. Between there’s a small alcove with a beer hatch and a lot of beautiful etched glass. If you really want to travel in time the décor of this pub gives you the chance, wonderfully preserved and oozing warmth and the reassurance of hundreds of years of tradition, in fact after its last renovation in 1903 the wood panelling had a preservation order slapped on it and thankfully so as it prevented any horrible modern updating since then. They even have a polite request to take mobile phone calls outside to preserve the ambience. The bar is situated centrally with access to both of the rooms, both having a wealth of brewery paraphernalia and old paintings adorning the stunning wood panelling. Each room also has an open fire and a few copper topped tables and bar stools. You’ll be lucky to get a seat though as its popularity and size mean it’s usually packed. The bar has 7 pumps with a good selection of real ales at standard York prices, but with the promise that a more diverse range is to come. The Blue Bell is certainly a pub where you won’t run out of good things to drink, as their bottle range is pretty extensive too. Suffering a little in the past due to the reputation of quite a grumpy landlord, it’s all change now since 2016 with John Pybus taking over and turning the pub’s size into more of a positive than a negative. Yes big groups will still get turned away, but that’s because there’s limited space. Gone is the “private party” sign, so everyone is welcome, even CAMRA members. You can’t get more of a juxtaposition of landlord here, John and his staff are the most welcoming, friendly and enthusiastic we’ve ever seen in a York pub, it’s worth the visit just for that alone, and maybe the great beers too. There’s no music played apart from some live acoustic stuff on a Saturday night so this really is the ideal place for a peaceful contemplative drink to unwind, especially when all the lights go out in the backroom later on in the evening to be replaced by candles. The toilets to the end of the corridor are just as traditional as the rest of the building but thankfully very well kept and functional, often a point such old buildings are let down on, but not here. John has done his best with the very limited outside space; a bench mounted on a few kegs which does the trick for the smokers, of course access is pretty tight but this is due to the nature of the pub and not necessarily a negative. The Blue Bell is an essential pub to visit in York and we welcome all the good that the new management will bring to such a historic venue. So despite not ticking tops marks in every category we review under we felt its uniqueness and superb service mean that it should be listed as one of the best in York, we’ll certainly be popping back regularly and you should too.
Hidden away behind a very unassuming façade of glazed red bricks is the very quaint and very small Blue Bell, a perfect example of an Edwardian pub. The entrance leads down a small corridor with the main room to the front and a slightly larger Smoke Room to the rear. Between there’s a small alcove with a beer hatch and a lot of beautiful etched glass. If you really want to travel in time the décor of this pub gives you the chance, wonderfully preserved and oozing warmth and the reassurance of hundreds of years of tradition, in fact after its last renovation in 1903 the wood panelling had a preservation order slapped on it and thankfully so as it prevented any horrible modern updating since then. They even have a polite request to take mobile phone calls outside to preserve the ambience. The bar is situated centrally with access to both of the rooms, both having a wealth of brewery paraphernalia and old paintings adorning the stunning wood panelling. Each room also has an open fire and a few copper topped tables and bar stools. You’ll be lucky to get a seat though as its popularity and size mean it’s usually packed. The bar has 7 pumps with a good selection of real ales at standard York prices, but with the promise that a more diverse range is to come. The Blue Bell is certainly a pub where you won’t run out of good things to drink, as their bottle range is pretty extensive too. Suffering a little in the past due to the reputation of quite a grumpy landlord, it’s all change now since 2016 with John Pybus taking over and turning the pub’s size into more of a positive than a negative. Yes big groups will still get turned away, but that’s because there’s limited space. Gone is the “private party” sign, so everyone is welcome, even CAMRA members. You can’t get more of a juxtaposition of landlord here, John and his staff are the most welcoming, friendly and enthusiastic we’ve ever seen in a York pub, it’s worth the visit just for that alone, and maybe the great beers too. There’s no music played apart from some live acoustic stuff on a Saturday night so this really is the ideal place for a peaceful contemplative drink to unwind, especially when all the lights go out in the backroom later on in the evening to be replaced by candles. The toilets to the end of the corridor are just as traditional as the rest of the building but thankfully very well kept and functional, often a point such old buildings are let down on, but not here. John has done his best with the very limited outside space; a bench mounted on a few kegs which does the trick for the smokers, of course access is pretty tight but this is due to the nature of the pub and not necessarily a negative. The Blue Bell is an essential pub to visit in York and we welcome all the good that the new management will bring to such a historic venue. So despite not ticking tops marks in every category we review under we felt its uniqueness and superb service mean that it should be listed as one of the best in York, we’ll certainly be popping back regularly and you should too.
