Vacant pub added to buildings at risk list

A record number of empty pubs have been added to a national charity's buildings at risk list, including a 260-year-old inn in Leeds.

SAVE Britain's Heritage, which highlights historic vacant buildings and advocates for their reuse, said The Old Red Lion on York Road in Whinmoor "needs a new lease of life" following its closure in 2021.

The pub is one of 21 pubs and inns added to the at risk register this year, bringing the total to 77.

Amy Popham, heritage engagement manager for the charity, said the pub had been a "real centre for the community for a really long time".

She said: "The pub has had a string of interesting landlords. One was run over by his own carriage in 1848 and another was a Yorkshire cycling champion.

"There was also such a great sense of a community when we dug into the history of this pub.

"After the First World War, the community rallied round and had a welcome home dinner there for the 74 local boys who returned home alive in the area."

The pub was purpose-built as a coaching inn for the new Leeds Turnpike Road in the 1760s, according to the Barwick-in-Elmet history group.

It lost its alcohol license in 2021 following reports of attacks and antisocial behaviour around the pub.

Two planning applications were submitted to demolish it and replace it with a McDonald's, but Leeds City Council refused both.

It was subject to a fire during the planning process, which SAVE said left it "at risk of this happening again and suffering further damage".

"This pub needs a new lease of life and could perhaps be restored to its historic uses as a restaurant, B&B, pub or dwelling," it added.

"Or, maybe a more imaginative approach is needed to provide the building with a sustainable future."

The at-risk register was set up by SAVE in 1989 and has grown to a record level this year, with 208 new entries across all types of buildings, bringing the total to about 1,500.

Popham added: "Many of these fantastic buildings are at the centre of their communities and are among the oldest and most interesting in their areas.

"Everyone's got a story about their local pub. The number of nominations makes it clear these buildings are enormously loved and deserve a new future."

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