White Lion Hotel
Bridge Gate Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire HX7 8EX
The White Lion has stood solidly by the river since 1657
and it has doubtless fed and watered coach drivers and their horses ably for many year and still
does. Not so many horses these days, and it’s had a recent spruce up – more a lick
of Farrow & Ball than a refurb, though, and the ancient flagged floors, stone
fireplaces and wood paneling have been kept, resulting in a smart,
comfortable and stylish interior. The beautiful big open fire at the far
end of the bar hasn’t been tampered with, and you can eat your lunch in front
of it if you like, or anywhere else for that matter – the sleekly carpeted
dining room, the pleasant stone-floored room just off the bar or the cosy
dining room. A crowd-pleasing menu ranges from sandwiches (Yorkshire
ham and piccalilli with homemade chunky chips is a corker) to ‘Infamous’ beef
stew and a ‘right and proper pork pie’ via veggie burgers (plus a menu for kids). For many years, various writers, poets and
painters have colonized a corner of this comfortable pub; why not pull up a
chair with a pint of Timothy Taylor, Copper Dragon or Black Sheep and wait for
the muse?