Brewing to return to Red Lion after 200 years

Above: Mr Luke Reid (right), the new licensee of the Red Lion in Silsden, is pictured with his mother and father, Julie and Paul Reid, and brother William. Luke is planning to transfer the family’s microbrewery to the historic pub next year – 200 years or so since ale was last brewed on the premises. In the 1700s the Red Lion  was a coaching inn. The old cobbled yard and stables (pictured below), although dilapidated, have been preserved. The courtyard has been given a floral facelift and at the rear a long disused beer garden is being renovated. William is carrying out the work. 

Longer term, Luke hopes to make a feature of the old stables, as well as improving the upstairs rooms and restoring the Red Lion as a community focal point, for which it was originally famed in the 19th century. The pub will concentrate on cask ales, mainly supplied in due course by the on-site brewery. The property is owned by the licensee’s father, Mr Paul Reid, a Halifax-based businessman.