Keefy also worked at Roundabout when Madge was landlady circa 1968/70 ish.
Always a good laugh and would always have a chat if drinking on your own.

Wakefield Arms, shame no one has taken over that place , been left to ruin.

Not wanting to get in a debate about the rights and wrongs - but I feel the smoking ban was the final nail as it were.

I have always smoked when drinking but for some reason always went outside. However many others did not and with prices of both beer and fags going up many decided to smoke and drink themselves to death at home where they could afford it. Like it or not these were the regulars who kept pubs going through the week and now they are gone there simply isn't the cash flow as far as I can tell.

A group of folk on my street clubbed together and built a bar room (holds 20 and actually has a bar with optics) in one guys back garden. You can buy them off the internet flat pack I'm told! They buy special offer beer at Asda and hey presto - pub life at a third the price with no last orders or any other restrictions.

I've been a few times and it wasn't bad - and I didn't have to wait for a taxi.

It really is such a shame, fun though the above was it's not the same nor does it give folk a job (well at Asda maybe)

Calder Vale Hotel, Horbury Junction, closed now. My Dad used to be the land lord from 1969 - 1972, not very happy days has a lad living there

]

I should be so lucky.

Cock Inn

Aye, from a pub to a vets, now theres a transition.

Another casualty ,just up the road, The Cliff Tree.
Went in for the first time in the early eighties as part of the "Tetley Pub Hunt", something that may be more of a challenge these days.
You'd need a bus or taxi to find 20 tetley houses in Wakefild these days, back then, it was just a good walk

Anyone remember the Speak (Speak Easy)? Is it still a bar??

Remember the Speakeasy, always a good place for 'meeting' people, not sure if there's a bar there now,there was a bar a few years since but mainly catered for gays I believe.

Now that the Ridings Shopping Centre is losing its gloss maybe it should be demolished and a new Mitre put in its place.
Was a big loss when the Mitre shut.
Although I prefered the modernised pub, before its revamp it had a lounge full of Trinity photos. Jim Nutter was in charge, I think his son has the Elephant and Castle now?

Lots of things have caused the demise of pubs,remember when I started work at the Whitbread brewery at Woodlesford very begining of 1977 you could go into Wakey any night of the week and they always had plenty of young people in the pubs.Made redundant 1st Jan 1983 and apart from Friday and Saturday night it was almost dead trouble was by then loads of the younger end were out of work no money and the price didnt help.The local boozer faired better for a little longer but again when the middle age and older lost jobs they started to suffer.Then we had the age of the video games and computers and home entertainment take off and people started to have other things to do leisure wise.It dont help now when the pub owners want stupid money for the lease of the pubs.Local one to me has just changed hands and that was £400 a week rent then you have lighting/heating etc on top. One of the final nails was the smoking ban in pubs though how some one can pass that in law and still be allowed to have a drink and smoke in the house of commons is beyond me.I know some who have converted their garages into bars and as said get cheap booze from the supermarket.
Some good old pubs gone thats for sure.