The White Bull, Ribchester
| The White Bull | |
|---|---|
The building in 2024 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Public house |
| Address | Church Street |
| Town or city | Ribchester, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°48′43″N 2°31′56″W / 53.81201°N 2.53232°W |
| Completed | 1707 |
| Renovated | 2017 |
| Owner | Dee and Julie Panaro |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Sandstone |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 3 |
| Website | |
| https://whitebullribchester.com | |
The White Bull (also known as the White Bull Inn) is a public house and inn on Church Street (formerly one of the Roman Watling Streets)[1] in the English village of Ribchester, Lancashire. It dates to 1707, although an alehouse is believed to have previously stood on the site.[2] It is a Grade II listed building[3] with some unique exterior features.[4][5][6][7]
The building, which overlooks The Hillock, the ancient centre of the village, is made of sandstone with slate roofs, in two storeys and four bays. On the front is a protruding two-storey gabled porch with two pairs of Doric columns, possibly taken from a nearby Roman fort,[8] specifically the tepidarium of the Roman baths. They are believed to have been recovered from the bed of the River Ribble.[9]
The doorway has a moulded surround. Above the portico is a rustic wooden representation of a white bull. The right bay has been altered and contains a door and modern shop windows. To the left, a former stable has a doorway with a plain surround, a blocked doorway converted into a window with a dated lintel, and a circular pitching hole.[5][6] The original door, to the right of today's main entrance, was filled in in the 1940s.[10]
In the late 18th century, the building also served as the local courthouse for many years, with one of its rooms used for holding prisoners.[9]
The inn, which has three rooms, was put up for sale, in January 2017, at an asking price in excess of £385,000.[11] In 2019, it was bought by the Brooks family,[12] who had previously owned it around the turn of the century, and was refurbished.[1] It was sold again, in late 2023, to Dee and Julie Panaro. The Panaros put the business on the market two years later.[12]
In 2022, the pub won the Tripadvisor Traveller's Choice Award.[13]
The pub was patronised by the members of Time Team during their three-day visit to the village, in September 1993, which was focused on nearby 2 Church Street.[8]
Gallery
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Viewed from Church Street, 2008
References
- ^ a b White Bull Ribchester official website
- ^ "Notice under Section 91 of the Localism Act 2011" – Ribble Valley Borough Council, section 8
- ^ Macpherson, Jonathan; Maidment, Adam (2 May 2025). "Owners of Grade II-listed pub and wedding venue make big announcement on future". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ "About Us" at thewhitebullribchester.co.uk
- ^ a b Hartwell & Pevsner (2009), p. 574
- ^ a b Historic England & 1308491
- ^ "Ribchester History Trail" - e-voice.org.uk
- ^ a b On the Edge of an Empire | FULL EPISODE | Time Team – Time Team Classics, YouTube, 20 September 2019
- ^ a b 50 Gems of Lancashire: The History & Heritage of the Most Iconic Places, Robert Nicholls (2019) ISBN 9781445684949
- ^ "Ribchester Parish Council | Parish Council | Historical Buildings". www.ribchesterparishcouncil.org.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "Landmark Ribble Valley village pub is up for sale for £385,000 plus" - Lancashire Evening Post
- ^ a b "Owners of popular East Lancs eatery search for new buyer". Lancashire Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ "Iconic pub business goes up for sale just months after winning top award". Lancashire Evening Post. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
Sources
- Historic England, "White Bull Hotel and former stable adjoining to the north, Ribchester (1308491)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 August 2015
- Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-12667-9
See also
External links
- White Bull Ribchester official website
- The White Bull's appearance in Time Team, 1994