NOW we’re talking! After weeks of doom, gloom and closures in York’s pub trade, things have suddenly picked right back up again. Tis indeed the season to be jolly.

Regular readers will recall my lament three weeks ago, over the spate of threatened and actual demolitions. Well things have turned around.

Firstly The Ackhorne in St Martin’s Lane re-opened with excellent beers (four from Rudgate and Marston Moor last weekend). Then the Tap and Spile in Monkgate followed suit earlier this week. Then came the news that the proposed demolition of the Turf Tavern in Dringhouses had mercifully fallen through. And then finally, to cap it all, Thursday saw the eagerly-awaited reopening of the Royal Oak in Goodramgate, following a £375,000 refurbishment.

That last one was possibly the most exciting development of all, as it’s one of the most significant pub refits in York in years.

Owners Punch Taverns, new licensee Sarah Skrzypiec, City of York Council and the York branch of Camra have all worked together and the result is a tremendous refurbishment that has improved the pub, while retaining the character of its inter-war layout.

Aside from the smart new decoration, the front room is relatively unaltered but it’s all change elsewhere. The snug on the right as you enter has been restored, with the traditional bench seating brought back, while upstairs there is a smart Tudor-beamed function room, available free for local groups or to book for meals.

The old outdoor toilets have been replaced by new indoor ones, including a fully accessible disabled loo, but the most striking change of all is in the rear room, where the bar has been reshaped and repositioned, a rear wall partially knocked through, and a conservatory eating area added.

Combined with a bold redecorating job, the result is hugely impressive, and a definite improvement for a pub that was in danger of becoming run-down otherwise.

The boss Sarah is fairly new to the pub game, having taken over this place only ten months ago, but she’s got roots in York having been born here before moving away, most recently to work as a police officer and then a teacher.

She says she’s always fancied being a landlady and said: “When the opportunity came up to run a pub in my home city of York, I jumped at the chance.”

She has brought in Andy Yuill (formerly of the Spread Eagle in its heyday, and more recently the Judges Lodgings) as manager, and the chef Dan Webb previously worked with TV duo Neil Morrissey and Richard Fox.

She says the aim of the revamp has been to create a pub that appeals equally to drinkers and diners, and she looks to have achieved that. There’s an impressive menu that ranges from quirky snacks (such as almond soup) to fulsome six-course banquets, while the bar includes several big-name lagers and ciders, three regular ales (Theakston’s Old Peculier, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Greene King Abbot Ale) and two rotating guests (Hook Norton Jackpot and Hardy and Hansons Rocking Rudolph when I visited on Thursday).

National pub companies such as Punch get a lot of bad press, not always unfairly so, but they deserve credit for being willing to invest heavily in this project and for also working so closely with Camra to ensure the historic feel of the place was retained. Here’s hoping it’s a sign of things to come, and here’s hoping this upturn in York pub fortunes continues.


Shorts

* I don’t usually enjoy sitting about in stations but I did on Tuesday, when I visited Sheffield. The old first class lounge there has been turned into a truly awesome pub called The Sheffield Tap, owned by the same people as Pivní in York city centre. They have ten traditional cask handpulls, 12 continental-style taps and hundreds upon hundreds of bottled beers including some hard-to-find treats. Try the Viven Imperial IPA and you could die happily there and then.

* The small matters of Christmas next Saturday and New Year’s Day the following Saturday mean an enforced break for this column. It will return on January 8. Until then, happy pubbing! Oh yes, and Merry Christmas too!

Common sense or nonsense? Follow Gav at twitter.com/pintsofview for beer news and views throughout the week.