THOSE OF you who are regular drinkers in the centre of Keighley will have noticed that the Burlington Arms pub is no longer open, and Timothy Taylor’s have put the building up for sale.

This is due to the retirement of the current licensees – the Peacock family, who have held the licence since October 23, 1979, moving to the town from the Windmill pub in Shelf.

Tina and her family will be sadly missed, as not only were they long-standing licensees, but they also presided over what was the only Timothy Taylor’s pub to still serve its real ale via electric pumps, and into oversized glasses – thereby ensuring a full pint of beer every time.

Our Branch pubs historian Eddie Kelly has written about its long history:

The property was originally owned by the Earl of Burlington but was first licensed and opened in September 1833 by Jonas Ellison, who had the building as both home and place of work. His father John owned the nearby Crown Inn, at 21 Church Street, and was one of the main promoters of the new Keighley market.

Competition for custom grew as the market expanded and the Ellison family purchased the pub from the Chatsworth estate (Earl of Burlington) during 1853 and it was run by Martha Murray, widowed sister of first licensee Jonas Ellison and daughter of John Ellison. Ownership passed to her son James Murray following her death in 1869.

James Ellison tried unsuccessfully to sell the pub and eventually Hartley & Bell of Clough Springs Brewery Barrowford took the lease until December 1879, paying £180 per annum.

The pub was again offered for auction in 1877 and Timothy Taylor’s acquired it, at a knock-down price, taking charge in December 1877. It has therefore been a Taylor’s pub for nearly 140 years.

The current family tenure at the Burlington is the longest of any of the licensees. Keighley & Craven CAMRA would like to wish Tina and her family good health and happiness in the future and above all would like to raise a glass to say “Cheers for all the Beers!”

A slightly longer version of this article, containing more facts and stories of interesting incidents, will appear in the next edition of Alesman. Free copies are available at many Keighley pubs.

The branch can be contacted via our web page keighleyandcraven.camra.org.uk.