This is the full version of my Yorkshire Post 'Pub of the Week' review which was published May 2011.
More of a working museum than a pub, Nellies (or the White Horse Inn to allow it its unused official moniker) has been a fixture of Beverley life since 1666. Much of it looks like it hasn't changed one iota since that time, in fact if a filmmaker wanted to shoot Robin Hood inside some of the rooms the only changes the art department would have to make would be to remove the beer mats. It's wonky, dusty, dark, labyrinthine, packed with intriguing knick-knacks and even more intriguing locals. It's a listed building lit by gas mantels and cheered by several open fires; it's hard to think of a pub with more history, character and heart.
That's the good news. The bad news is that a few years of injudicious care by the owning brewery means that it's very survival is unfortunately in doubt. Long hours for little pay and limited living quarters mean that there's been a high turnover of landlords and this jewel of a pub currently finds itself languishing without a permanent gaffer and no food offering up until a couple of years ago you could live for days at a time on one of the cheap doorstep sandwiches from the basic but hearty menu.
It's also difficult to recommend the drinks unless you're a connoisseur of Sam Smith's - beyond stating that they're very, very cheap. The only real exception is the dizzyingly heady wheat beer, a couple of pints of which make the walls and floor seem more uneven that normal.
Aside from the building what really makes Nellies stand out are the incredible locals. They queue in the morning to get in, sit bantering all day and fill the place with humour and warmth in the packed evenings. They will not let the spirit of Nellies die without a fight. This is a pub going through unnecessarily hard times but you should still visit, not for the non-existent food or bog standard beer but to experience what should be one of the most celebrated institutions in the country, just in case it disappears. read more