Leeds Pub Ponderings: What was the first pub you went in?

What was the first Leeds pub you ever went in and what are your memories of it? Leeds locals ponder pubs of their past.

Transcript

00:00 My first pub I was 16. A lot of people carried ID around who weren't 18 and it was somebody

00:10 else's ID. So you could get a drink. There was the Chain Bull which is now of course

00:16 demolished and replaced by Marks' car park which is such a pity because it was a wonderful

00:25 building.

00:26 The Lord Darcy and Oldley was probably the first one I went to. That was after my A-Level

00:32 results and I was celebrating with my friends doing the pub quiz. It was a lot of fun.

00:36 First pub I went to was the Fenton. We went after football, after football matches. Mods

00:41 and rockers used to meet there and they used to get on with a lot of bands there, people

00:46 dancing, girls dancing on tables. A lot of mad atmosphere really but it was nice.

00:52 For me the saddest thing is to see all the old pubs closing which is many, many because

00:58 the big ones like Wetherspoons and all them, they just don't have the same interest in

01:01 me as they have the other ones. And also the old pubs had a lot of good architecture in

01:07 there. I used to love and enjoy looking at the architect and stuff like that.

01:10 It's quite a nice vibe of pubs in Leeds generally. I think generally pub culture in the UK is

01:15 quite friendly. I've got to be loyal to that Head Over Arms. I haven't been in but it's

01:20 quite near to me and if you take the 65 bus driver, say you're going to Head Over Arms,

01:27 he always says to me, "Are you going in for one?"

01:29 First pub which I went to in Leeds was a pub called The Dexter in Shadwell which my mum

01:33 used to work at. Ended up becoming a manager, left for a bit and then she went back. But

01:38 it was a really nice place. I've been working at Becketts Bank in the Kitchen for about

01:42 two years now and it is honestly lovely working there. I've never met people like...

01:47 A Delphi, I'd say. It's always nice and relaxed and it's great. So we now live close by so

02:02 it's local, innit?

02:03 I'm going to say it's one we could always go into. It's friendly.

02:07 I went to a port on Coleray and that was my first ever one I went into. Basically because

02:13 my band had a gig there in the little gig room and then we played support in a band

02:18 called Gravy. We're called The North, @thenorth.band on Instagram if you want to check us out.

02:24 We've got a tune on Spotify as well. But yeah, it was wicked. It's a nice, light, cosy room.

02:29 Tetley's Bitter was something like 1 and 10 and Double Diamond was I think 2 and 6. And

02:37 I kind of acquired a taste for Double Diamond. We used to call it D.D. Pint of D.D. Pint of

02:46 D.D. And if you got a lady a cocktail, it was a pint of Mixed, which is bitter and mild.

02:54 You couldn't afford a Brandy and Baby Sham. You know they say Brandy and Baby Sham, where

03:02 are you from?

03:03 (laughing)