The landlady of Leeds’ oldest pub is bracing for the “horrendous” energy bills come winter as she’s not allowed to install double glazing or make any significant changes to the listed building which dates back more than a thousand years.
Kay Sugden, 58, runs The Bingley Arms in Bardsey which dates back to 953AD, with her stepson Ryan Sugden, 38. The mother-of-two has said as times have changed recently, running a historical pub in the middle of the countryside has become far more challenging.
The north-Leeds pub contains several priest hiding holes and a hidden tunnel, rumoured to have once led to the village church further down Church Lane. But just as these old fixtures fell into ruin, the pub is being hit with a wave of modern-day problems.
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Kay fears the winter cold and the cost of heating up the listed building. She said: “We look at things differently now, everything’s changed. One time we used to leave the lights on upstairs all the time and now we’re trying to tighten up.
"The energy bills for this place are just horrendous. It’s an old building, it’s listed, you can’t have double glazing. You’re very restricted to what you can do.
“We’re alright now because we haven’t got the heating on but come winter, we’re going to have the heating on and everything. So you’ve just got to be more wary of what you do.”
The energy price cap is set to rise by 65 per cent, according to the latest predictions from industry experts Cornwall Insight, which will bring the current £1,971 cap to £3,245. The price hike could be implemented after 10 weeks.
Kay says the cost of living crisis means country pubs now have to focus on making good food in particular, above anything else.
She’s said people are “watching what they’re spending” so gastro-pubs have got to offer up a high-quality menu which people will be happy to spend their “hard earned money” on.
The 58-year-old said: “You’ve got to serve good food. People don’t come out here, normally, just for a drink anymore. People come out for food. Times have changed where the food is more important.
“You’ve got to keep a good pint, don’t get me wrong, because you get all the gents who know exactly what a good pint is. But you’ve got to serve good home cooked food, definitely.
“You can’t just go stagnant, you’ve got to keep coming up with fresh ideas and at the moment, we’ve got the bar snacks and Fish Fridays are back. Little deals. People at the moment are watching what they’re spending, so you’ve got to compensate for that. Times have changed!
“It is challenging. Prices of food and everything is going up all the time. You’ve got the challenges of energy bills, everything going. So you’ve got to be good at what you do, for people to come into your pub to spend their hard earned money.”
Kay and Ryan have systems in place to reduce costs, however. They’ve had a new boiler installed to power up the old-fashioned cast-iron radiators which get “red hot”. Plus they have log burners in place, dotted around the venue which spans three floors and has a tap room, dining area, function space above, kitchen and living quarters.
The construction of the thousand-year-old building may also serve as a hindrance come winter.
Kay said: “Because it’s so old, when we had that red-hot weather it was nice and cool because the walls are so thick. But you can imagine what it was like in winter, freezing! It will cost a lot but we’ve got the wood burners to help.”
Kay and Ryan order their wood from one of their bar regulars, so they’re confident they will get a good deal.
The pair took over the bar in 2016 after Kay’s late husband and Ryan’s dad Gerrard Sugden died of pancreatic cancer. Gerrard, known as Ged locally, was a “flamboyant and friendly” man and is fondly remembered in the village, after taking over the pub in 2011. Kay and Ged married in St James' Hospital while he was sick.
The step-mother and son have always known the village well as Kay is from the village and Ryan is from nearby in East Keswick.
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