Hello

Join us as we try to save The Yorkshire Lass.

Hello! How do you fancy getting involved in an initiative with your local community that aims to:

1. Save The Yorkshire Lass in Knaresborough

A worthy local treasure facing demolition in favour of a residential dwelling once again. So far we’ve managed to get the building nominated as an ‘Asset of Community Value’, and we’ve put forward objections to the current planning application, giving good planning reasons.

2. Bring the former pub back to life for the benefit of all of us who live around here

We have a realistic vision to deliver it back to Knaresborough as a thriving community hub, arts centre, and tourist destination; an accessible social space ‘for the benefit of many’. What would you like to see it become?

We want your feedback, ideas, skills, passion, and help!

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION NOW! Click here.

You can read the full story so far here….

You can find out more about who’s behind this initiative here….

Or skip straight below to find out how you can get involved….

 

What can you do?

There are a number of ways you can show support and get involved. Please SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION and then do one/ two/ three/ all of these…

1. Please leave a comment below.

Do you want to see the pub brought back to life? Would you want to/ could you get involved in some way if this happened? What would you like to see the Yorkshire Lass become? Do you have fond memories of the pub in it’s hey day? Please tell us about it.

2. You can email us at info@yorkshirelassknaresborough.com.

We’d love to hear what you think and how you can help. Do you have skills or knowledge that would help drive this forward? Do you have photos of The Yorkshire Lass in it’s hey day? If you have snaps of parties, gigs or barbecues you went to we’d love to see them! Any social events would be great. Or just anything you have, really!

We want to paint a picture of the former pub as the community asset that it is, and your stories and photos will really help to do that.

3. You can object against the current planning application

Write to Harrogate Borough Council Planning Services, PO Box 708, Harrogate HG1 9LX or you can do this online here (Please note the current application has been removed from public view as the council await ‘vital missing information’. Once validated again it will be back online at which point comments can be posted).

This could be the last chance to save this building, and when it’s gone, it’s gone forever. If you have views please do share them now.

4. Spread the word!

Tell your social networks about this, share the web link by email, or just use your voice! However you do it, please do it, and give others the knowledge and the opportunity to have their say and get involved.

Thank you.

[Copy last updated 12.10.14, 08.38am]

60 Comments

  1. Yes do everything you can to save this building and not let it become residential , this building has stood all my life and is as much a monument for people’s enjoyment of Knaresborough as is the Market place.

    Liked by 1 person

    • yes please stop the demolition of this pub have been in several times when open

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  2. A land mark to our beautiful town and how absolutely stunning it looks in these pictures, how nice it would be to see it up and running and back to its former glory xx

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Yvonne. It would be fabulous wouldn’t it! It feels like a lot of people have ‘given up’… but lots more obviously haven’t! – Rachel x

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  4. It should be kept and restored for everybe to enjoy and bring it back to life as it once was! Had many a good time there!

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    • Indeed Lesley! The local community feel such a strong attachment to the place – even though it’s been empty for 7 years! Imagine if it was actually open? That’s why I think it’s really important to try and save it 🙂 – Rachel

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  5. I spent many a happy hour there, it was a lovely pub and could be again. Such a shame to loose it to expensive housing

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    • It’s hard to see how 4 flats can deliver any benefit to Knaresborough at all really. It could be so much more, and I’d love to see it be loved and used by as many local people as possible. Thank you for your comment – Rachel x

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  6. The Campaign for Real Ale is determined that the Yorkshire Lass is saved for the local community, in the right hands this can be a thriving asset to Knaresborough. An attractive building in a riverside location in a tourist area should have entrepreneurs rushing to take adavantage of the opportunity. The Yorkshire Lass is worth saving and can be saved.
    Thanks also are due to Rachel for her hard work on behalf of the community.

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    • Thank you Alun. You have been really supportive and I hope to be able to keep on working with you & CAMRA as we continue in our attempts to turn this situation around and do something really positive for the local community. I know we will keep in touch! – Rachel x

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  7. Yes I am half a world away in New Zealand… Yes I love the Yorkshire Lass!!! Please save it! I would LOVE to take my children for a drink there in 10 years or so please… It’s an iconic piece of Knaresborough!!! xx

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  8. Over the years me and my family have spent many a happy night at the Yorkshire Lass and if we all pull together we can make it a great venue once again which will be an asset to both the local community and visitors alike.
    Well done Rachel for all the continuous hard work you are putting into this project.

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  9. It would be great to save the pub as it would be so appreciated to have a lovely local again!

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  11. Great idea but would it work as a pub again,didn’t it shut because nobody used it in the end? It would be nice to see it done up and looking good again. It is the gateway into knaresborough after all.

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    • Hi Martin. I think it would work.. it wouldn’t just be a pub again but a multi use venue and community hub. And it would be a community project, which I think the whole local community would embrace and then use. Very exciting possibilities 🙂 Thank you for your support x

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  12. Hi, we are local Planning Consultants (based in Knaresborough) and would be happy to give a bit of advice to try maintain this community asset. Please drop me an email if we can help !

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  13. Commenting in support – it’s a constant shame to see The Yorkshire Lass in such disrepair every time I go to Knaresborough. When it was open it was lovely to see both sides of the river alight with activity; now it’s just one side and a dead zone after the bridge until Starbeck!

    Fix it Rachel, fix it good! At your disposal you have what limited skills I can offer – you already have a website, but if you need anyone to drink beer in a specific place consider me there!

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    • I concur, I can fully support Cam in the beer drinking and will bring many others to further the future profit margins that a well established drinking should receive. Im still amazed that such a prominent location has been abandoned for so long

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  14. It always saddens me to see pubs closed and demolished for new developments. Pubs that should be the heart of their community and a local attraction for visitors. This place could be that again. It was so sad to see it in it’s current state when I was there over the summer. (#hstip)
    You can do this, the local community can do this. Look forward to being able to say “I love beer” in there with you!
    🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Paul! I long for the day when I can say ‘I love beer’ in there with you! You know what? The beers are on me that day, all day 🙂 xx

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  15. So sorry to see this.. the last time I was in there was a two-day stopover for a cricket weekend (Yorks v Lancs at Headingley) I think, in about 1994. The place was absolutely lovely. But hey, let’s not let anything remain, in our desire to plant a new rubble pile on the country, so the same old suspects can get rich, eh? Too much of this going on in the bankrupt United Build-dom, where the only thing we make any more is a bl—-y mess.

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    • It’s a fair point! Often not enough importance is placed on buildings that actually have a massive amount of history, and to which the local community have an attachment that over time may not be so visible. Hopefully this website will enable those that care about saving this former pub to step forward and say so, then we can demonstrate as a community just how much of a ‘community asset’ this place really is. A building doesn’t have to be ‘listed’ to have meaningful history or to matter to the people and the environment around it. These things are incredibly precious and should be cherished and protected. – Rachel x

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  16. You are doing an amazing job Rachel! Keep up the good work, you seem to have a great deal of support. If I can help in any way, please let me know.

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  17. Gateway to Knaresborough and into the Nidd Gorge/cycling and walking routes – would be good to see it as some sort of social, entertainment or community use rather than demolished for housing. Happy to help

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    • You’re right, it IS such a key access point to so many of the wonderful things Knaresborough has to offer. For many it’s the first thing they see as they come to Knaresborough, and it needs to fill those shoes as something that epitomises the magic and wonder of Knaresborough and all it has to offer. It needs to be a facility that welcomes visitors in the right way, and something that locals can be part of, use, and be really really proud of. Not some soulless private housing development for the enjoyment of just a tiny number of people. That will make the site totally disconnected from the environment and community. That would be a very sad loss for Knaresborough, and one I feel many would regret and mourn for a long time. Please keep in touch. I’d love to have you involved in this – Rachel x

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  18. I’d love to see the YL brought back to life. It’s such a shame to see another pub go for housing/supermarket/etc. just like the Mapplebeck, the Mile Post, the Harwood, the Rowan Tree, the Skipton (Dragon) the list goes on. It’s really tough for landlords to make living I’m sure but Knaresborough does still seem to have room for this pub, especially being next to the river and having parking. Rammed during the Bed Race I seem to remember. My wife and I used to really enjoy going to the YL, great ale, good live bands and at one time amazing Yorkshire puddings the size of house bricks!
    Good luck with your campaign, Rachel, et al.

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    • What a lovely comment, Neil. Thanks for sharing your great memories of the place… and you are so right – Knaresborough has lots of pubs, but I think the Yorkshire Lass can be something really special – with a unique appeal – on a very prominant and important site in this lovely town – Rachel x

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  19. I applaud what you are trying to do Rachel. As one of the founding resident musicians( from about 1987 for nearly twenty years) I have very fond memories of the YL in it’s hey day. I remember people queued outside the door to get into some of our gigs and to see some of the fantastic guest musicians that have graced the pub in the past. The only query I have is “Is the building structurally viable after two fires, water ingress, neglect etc?”
    Best wishes anyway. Tony Cerexhe – Founder Member – The Drouthy Band.

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    • Thanks so much Tony! It’s ace remembering what it was and how popular it used to be!! Regarding your question re viability, I have studied the structural survey that is submitted with the current planning application and it is indeed viable. Obviously it’s a big renovation project (I’m already talking to local tradesmen and offering them discounted beer! :)) but structurally it appears it is sound. Contrary to what the actual planning application suggests. There’s certainly no evidence in the structural survey to suggest that the only way is demolition – Rachel x

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  20. Keep up the good work Rach. It would be a shame to see the Yorkshire Lass demolished to make way for a few houses. I am behind you all the way.

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  21. Good luck,I used to drink there whenever in Knaresboro
    Are the skylights still open ,presumably letting in rain ?

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    • Thanks Nigel! I don’t think they skylights are still open! Hope not anyhoo! I also hope you will drink there again, Mr Pearson. Beers on me? 🙂 – Rachel x

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  22. Such a shame that yet another notable building is set to be replaced by bland modernity. I’d love to see the Yorkshire Lass restored to it’s former glory – look how well the Half Moon is doing.

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    • Thank you for your support Kirsten. Bland modernity would be devastating on this landmark site. I’ll do what I can with your support to not let that happen – Rachel x

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  23. Hi Rachel-you have my full support in your efforts to save the Yorkshire Lass and classify it as a Community Asset.
    County Councillor Bill Hoult

    Knaresborough

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  24. Glad to see all the interest in this project. There is no reason why this cannot be a thriving pub, during the summer there used to be a marquee in the back yard for functions like Feva concerts. I believe there was an old stone building (George Inn) before the present brick structure so this is part of Knaresborough’s history and we should respect and preserve the site for continuing community use.

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    • Thanks Bob! Totally agree with your comments re the history and need to preserve – a building doesn’t have to be ‘listed’ to matter to the heritage of an area and community. Please keep in touch. – Rachel x

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  25. Just saw this on Twitter. I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with you and I’ve made a comment on the 38 degrees website as well. I would imagine that if lots of folk in Knaresborough get to hear of this campaign, and knowing that people are aware of the pub’s potential, it would get things started. Every time I drive past the place, I hear myself (and others with me) saying, ‘what a shame… that place should be an amazing pub given its location’… it just needs some imagination and maybe the eye of one of the better-run pub chains – although of course, if it were to be run as an independent (given what great indie pubs there already are in town… Blind Jacks, Carriages and Half Moon spring to mind immediately)… why not!

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    • Thanks Stu! You know what… ‘what a shame… that place should be an amazing pub given its location’. Let’s see what we can do, shall we 😉 Your support means a lot. – Rachel x

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  26. I would love to be involved in anything to save this landmark.
    Unfortunately I can’t read what is in the text x.

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  28. I would love to see The Yorkshire Lass brought back to life as somewhere the community can gather. Although I went to school in Harrogate I never really went to Knaresborough until this year when thanks to #hstip and the Tour de France I realised what I’d been missing! I was a Tourmaker just across the road from the YL on stage 2, and I couldn’t help feel a little sad that the building was shuttered up and lifeless. What a great welcome to Knaresborough a revived YL would make!

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    • Hello Philippa! Thanks for your comment… Knaresborough is such a beautiful town and sometimes we are too quick to let these nuggets of history be taken by some commercial development. Piece by piece it changes the landscape and heritage and the general feel of a town. It also chips away at community pride. Let’s hope we can save this nugget! 🙂 – Rachel x

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  29. It would be good if the pub could be resurrected, especially if it was a decent ale pub with food etc. There is no proper “old fashioned” pub with proper beer in Starbeck, and with the bus service it would be viable if one of the big brewery companies etc took it on, but it would be a big financial gamble for them. The trouble is there is big short term profit to make from the housebuilding outfits and the Govt pressure on HBC to supply new houses means that they will struggle to resist the lure of money and the housing target at the expense of any sentimental reasoning, I hope it does get sympathetically restored!!

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  30. i think a certain BBC weatherman & that Gration bloke might be interested in getting behind this this :). that would get a lot of publicity

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