“It was obvious that if the club kept going the same way, it would have tailed off into the sunset,” says Frank Jauncey, president and treasurer of The Pateley Club.

Frank and secretary Russ Goodwin talked to the Stray Ferret at the club this week about recent changes.

The Pateley Club could hardly occupy a more prime location on Pateley Bridge High Street, or have a richer history. The grade II listed building it occupies was built in 1664 as the George and Dragon Inn, and a century later ale was brewed on site.

Since then, it has been the brewery manager’s house and a members’ club for 145 years. But its illustrious past couldn’t disguise the fact that it faced an uncertain future when a new committee took over in 2020. Membership was struggling and times were changing.

No sooner had the committee been appointed than covid hit, putting everything on hold for two years.

Since then, the club has undergone a significant transformation and now has 600 members — a remarkable figure for a small Nidderdale town. From August 21 to 23 it will host the town’s first beer festival, which you can read about here,, and things seem to be on the up again.

Ramping up events

Tales of the club’s fascinating history abound — apparently beer is now kept cool beneath an old mortuary slab used by a former undertaker’s next door.

But although the past provides some certainty — the club and building are owned by its members — the committee is more focused on surviving in the 2020s.

Once heavily dependent on older men, Russ says the club has tried to “promote The Pateley Club as a welcoming community hub” by diversifying its appeal.

To achieve this, events have been ramped up in a big way. The venue, which has an atmospheric upstairs bar and function room, now hosts an eclectic line-up of attractions, ranging from a Pateley Bridge darts championship to a forthcoming appearance by a clairvoyant.

There is regular live music, along with quizzes and bingo, while a bible class and the local Labour Party are among the groups who meet there. The aim, Frank says, is to have a mixture of free and paid-for events each month.

The club also has a snooker table and pool table, and new ideas, such as creating a games room, are being explored.

Ruffling feathers

There’s been an upturn in visits by women, and a £6 seasonal membership has tempted some of Pateley’s many holidaying caravanners. Full annual membership is £12. Non-members can visit — something many people don’t realise — but members get reduced priced drinks.

Russ says:

Change, however, is rarely easy:

More feathers were ruffled this year when the club applied to North Yorkshire Council for a premises licence.

Some people, including the police, objected to its initial bid to sell alcohol and allow live and recorded music until midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 1am on Friday and Saturday and remain open an extra 30 minutes beyond these times.

A compromise was reached and the club now stops serving and allowing music an hour earlier Sundays to Thursday at 11pm and closes at 11.30pm.

The club, along with nearby pubs the Crown Inn and Royal Oak, plays a vital part in Pateley’s social life. Many people will be hoping that recent changes at the historic venue will ensure its survival well into the future.