West End House: Bumper month for Kirkstall community pub

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Community spirit: West End Pub in Kirkstall. Image: Dexter David Mathers

February has proven to be a very successful one for Kirkstall’s West End House and landlady Tammy Gibson and her team, writes JILL BUCKLEY.

The pub recently announced that they are now official supporters of Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Carnegie and are now offering a 10% discount to Rhinos and Carnegie ticket holders.

Tammy is also running a competition for the first person to spot the pubs banner on the South Stand at Headingley and post a photo on the pubs facebook page. The winner gets a free pint and a burger. Their support is also a charity fundraiser and the pub will be holding regular raffles for Leeds Rhinos tickets with proceeds going to Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice.

Not long after this announcement the pub was voted Pub of the Month for February as voted for by Leeds Campaign for Real Ale members.

Kirkstall is something of a local mecca for real ale presently with The Bridge and The Cardigan Arms also receiving Pub of the Month awards in October 2017 and January 2018 respectively.

The pub also featured at number six in Tripadvisor’s list of the best ten lunch spots in Leeds as rated by users of the site and reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Tammy has also been kind enough to donate a £30 food and drink voucher for the West End House for the next winner of the West Leeds Dispatch Good Egg Awards. Remember you can nominate a member of the West Leeds community who you think deserves a treat. Nominate for the February award here.

Handover: Robert Trainor and Paul Gill with Tammy Gibson

After 15 years behind the bar Tammy took over the pub last August after owners Paul Gill and Robert Trainor left after 25 years to pursue new challenges.

The West End House has a rich history as part of the Kirkstall community since 1867 when it was first listed as a beer house.

Its first licensee was William Tordoff and several of the streets around, building of which began in 1872, are named after him. He was part of a family of West Leeds licensees with his brothers Ben, Wilfred and Walter being licensees at pubs in Stanningley, Bramley and Armley respectively.

The premises were also used for many years as headquarters for Masonic Lodges and societies between 1899 and 1922 when the pub changed its name to the West End Inn with the National Independent Order of Oddfellows, The Druids Lodge and the Steam Engine Workers Society all meeting there.

Kirkstall Brewery, which was then housed in their premises at the junction of Broad Lane and Wyther Lane and is now student accommodation, supplied beer to the pub between 1867 and 1936 and there is a whole host of memorabilia from the breweries original incarnation in the pub.

The West End House is open from 11.30am until late seven days a week offering a variety of drinks including four real ales and food is served every day.

There are quiz nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays and live sport with Sky Sports having recently been re-installed at the venue. For more information visit the pub’s website.



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