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17
May
‘Derelict pub is an eyesore on Kirkby Malzeard, it’s time to save it’
Walk halfway down Kirkby Malzeard’s Main Street and you will come across a somewhat incongruous site.
Bookended by houses and holiday cottages is a pub, which some say has seen better days.
The Henry Jenkins dates back to the 18th century and was once a thriving public house until it closed its doors in 2011.
Fifteen years later, the run down looking site is the subject of a bitter standoff between campaigners and its owner.
‘Precarious and dangerous’
Dr Cindy Morrissette moved to Kirkby Malzeard in late 2025 to enjoy her retirement.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret outside the pub on a sunny May afternoon, she said she joined the Henry Jenkins Community Pub Group in October after finding herself travelling further afield to Grewelthorpe to have a drink for friends.
These days, she says the former pub is an “eyesore” on the village. She points to the worn down facade, hole in the roof and the overgrow in what would have been the beer garden area to the left of the site.
She said:
The building is now in a very precarious and dangerous state of repair with a gaping hole in the roof, which has allowed for water ingress causing further structural damage. It is easily accessible from the rear to curious children or malicious trespassers, it’s only a matter of time before serious injury or death occurs.
Dr Morrissette said the former pub was now long-term derelict and that the council had a “duty of care” to protect its residents.
The former Henry Jenkins pub, which has been closed since 2011.
In a letter to North Yorkshire Council, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, she said:
It really is time that the council knuckle down, pay a visit to this site as a matter of urgency, and help local residents rid the village of the eye sore, also to help turn it into a much needed, vibrant pub for the benefit of the local economy and community fellowship.
The pub group has campaigned for the last 10 years to reopen the Henry Jenkins as a community pub.
At the instigation of local residents, it was first listed by Harrogate Borough Council as an asset of community value in 2017. However, in 2018 the listing on the eastern annexe was removed by the council, when it was sold to current owner David Fielder’s business associate, Justin Claybourn.
Richard Sadler, chair of the pub group, said the group has around £150,000 to purchase the site but has been knocked back by Mr Fielder on multiple occasions.
Mr Sadler admitted that it was “hard to keep the momentum” going after 10 years of campaigning.
An aerial photo shows the overgrown garden and fallen-in roof
However, last month, the campaign was given a boost after a government planning inspector rejected plans to convert part of the pub into a holiday cottage.
Now, the group has written to the council to call for it to help negotiate a purchase of the Henry Jenkins.
In a recent email to Richard Flinton, chief executive of the council, Richard Sadler, chair of the campaign group, said it was the right time to make a move to save the pub.
The email, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, said:
Now is an ideal time to resolve the long-running campaign by the local community to buy the Henry Jenkins Pub and reinstate it as a community pub.
It is potentially a valuable economic asset for this area, which is developing as a significant tourist destination.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council whether it had a response to the claim that it had a duty of care over the site and whether it had offered support to the pub group.
Rachel Joyce, the council's chief executive for local engagement, said:
We are aware of the request from the Henry Jenkins Community Pub Group regarding the former Henry Jenkins site in Kirkby Malzeard.
Officers have been in contact with the group and conversations are ongoing. We are continuing to engage with everyone who is involved to understand the situation.
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