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"Meet
you in the Talbot and Falcon" or "Finish up at the Talbot
and Falcon", we'd always say. This has been a Wakefield inn since
the 1700s, always known as either the Talbot or Talbot and Falcon,
except for a spell as Bleasbys in the 1980s, and was formerly
honoured as a Tetley Festival Ale House, just off the Bull Ring
and with is own way to and from the bus station, with a fame that
went far beyond the city itself. Sadly in recent years, perhaps with
the departure of Tetleys from pub ownership and the Festival Ale House
concept, its popularity declined along with its place on the
city's cask ale scene. A few months ago it closed for major building
works, and it became clear that a new company KSM had ambitious plans
for the place.
Wakefield CAMRA were contacted quite
recently and invited to participate in the re-opening. Yes it would
still be the Talbot and Falcon, and yes real cask ale would still be a
key feature. On Thursday 24th April 2003 the doors were re-opened. A rank
of shining hand-pulls stand proudly on the bar. The long interior has
been skilfully opened up so that the lower part of the pub has a
roomy, airy feel, whilst the rear corridor where folk traditionally
stood with their pints tucked into their sides as they put the world
to rights, still remains. New is an extensive and imaginitive daytime
food menu, along with a degree of smartness probably never known
before. There also 4 letting rooms.
We'd never heard of KSM because it's but a
fledgling family-owned pub company originating in the Keighley area,
this being only their fourth venture, but its clear that they've
studied their customer potential thoroughly and have
realised that whilst Wakefield has no shortage of young persons'
venues there are opportunities in the more up-market area.
Among the well-wishers at the re-opening
were CAMRA's Yorkshire Regional Director, Michael Moss and East of
England Membership Officer Keith Spencer. Here photographed is Michael
Duke, the new licensee, hand-picked by his father Kevin Duke who owns
the company!
Incidentally, long before it was a make of
car, a talbot was a medi�val hunting dog, to accompany the falcon.
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