Cittie of Yorke

Photos and First Impressions

 

View from across Chancery Lane

Streetside

Looks like a cathedral at first glance.

Spacious, Great Hall

 Chronicling from the Barstool

 

The signage alone screams British pub. It features gothic lettering, includes the name of a city where it doesn’t reside, and boasts at least three superfluous letters. Easy to see how it made my list, but should it have?

 

Well, that’s a bit tricky given the dates here. Most of the current structure was built in 1923, so young by English standards. That said, a pub has more or less continually stood on this site since 1430. That, combined with all the above-mentioned factors, is enough for me to check it out.

 

Despite the relative youth of the building, it’s quite distinct from its neighbors. Much like The George, the main portion of the pub rests far from the street, and can only be reached after navigating a long corridor.

 

Upon entering, I at first felt more like I entered an old church than a pub. The large hall features a high, vaulted ceiling, and stained-glass windows decorate its upper reaches. Small, wooden booths are recessed into the wall opposite the bar and along its side, reminiscent of the confessional booths in some Catholic churches. I suppose that’s fitting. Most folks are a bit loose lipped after a few drinks, and I’ve probably confessed more in pubs than pews in my time.

 

The bar itself is quite long, which typically coincides with an extensive list of draft beer options. Not so in the Cittie of Yorke. The choices are about as limited as they are in smaller pubs. I suspect the size is more to accommodate larger crowds during peak times, but I visited in the early afternoon, and things were relatively quiet.

 

That quiet actually surprised me. Typically, in larger structures, the acoustics allow voices to carry, but that wasn’t the case here. I could overhear some conversations, but I think the recessed booths shielded the sound a bit, offering a degree of privacy in an otherwise very public house.

 

I took a seat near the back of the pub to observe the comings and goings. Next to me was a large, black-iron furnace. At first I assumed that it was no longer in use, but given the fresh wood stacked in an near it, I may be wrong. I can imagine how comforting it would be to gather around the warm hearth on a cold winter’s evening, relaxing in the company of good friends and good ale, worshiping in this cathedral of comradery.

 

Also in the pub’s found year of 1430…

• Henry VI rules England.
• Joan of Arc captured at the siege of Compiègne.
• Phillip the Good founds the Order of the Golden Fleece.
• Murad II and the Ottoman Empire take Thessalonica.
• James II of Scotland is born.

On Draught

 

Old Brewery Bitter

Samuel Smith’s

4% ABV

 

The brewer claims to draw the water for this one from a well first dug in 1758. I assume that’s when the beer I drank was brewed as well because it was flat as hell—even by cask ale standards. Still, it had a decent malty flavor, and a hint of bitterness on the backend, as the name implies. Certainly not the worst beer I’ve ever had, but I doubt I’ll have another.