Ale and Hearty

The people of Kirkby Lonsdale are making the most of the opportunities coming their way, writes Mike Glover.

- Mike Glover

YOU came to see the views, now drink the beer. When one of those posh Sunday papers put Kirkby Lonsdale in its ‘best places in Britain to live’ supplement, it summarised why the old Lancashire market town is loved as ‘it’s the scenery, stupid’.

That must have been music to the ears of a brewery, which has just opened a beer hall to promote its range of 32 ales, each named after a feature of the town.

There are: Ruskins, named after the Victorian thinker’s favourite view; Radical, named after the steps that lead from the banks of the River Lune up to the view; Devil’s Bridge, the iconic crossing of the river; Jubilee, after the fields next to Devil’s Bridge; Monumental, after the Monument in the square; Tiffin Gold, after the lane to the church; and so on.

The beer hall, known as The Royal Barn, on New Road, is run by five local entrepreneurs: Richard Taylor and his son Stuart, Alan Stephenson, and David Law and his son James.

The Taylor family have run the Orange Tree pub in the town for 21 years. They also own the Army Surplus Store in Main Street and nail parlour, Pretty Pinkies. In 2009, Stuart started brewing in Old Station Yard after training and getting equipment from Porter Brewing Company, in Bury.

Their beers are now available through wholesalers throughout the country, and they deliver directly to pubs and other outlets within a one-and-a-half hour drive time, many in Lancashire.

‘The brewery was flat out and we couldn’t cope with the demand,’ said Richard. ‘We wanted to grow the brand and decided to create an extension to the brewery which people could come in and see, experience the smells and hear the noises, and be totally interactive.’