The White Bull, Ribchester Explained

The White Bull
Mapframe:yes
Building Type:Public house
Material:Sandstone
Owner:Julie Gainford (since 2023)
Landlord:Julie Gainford
Address:Church Street
Location Town:Ribchester, Lancashire
Location Country:England
Coordinates:53.812°N -2.5323°W
Renovation Date:2017
Floor Count:2
Rooms:3
Website:http://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 with some unique exterior features.[3] [4]

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, specifically the tepidarium of the Roman baths. They are believed to have been recovered from the bed of the River Ribble.[5]

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. The original door, to the right of today's main entrance, was filled in in the 1940s.[6]

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.[5]

The inn, which has three rooms, was put up for sale, in January 2017, at an asking price in excess of £385,000.[7] It was bought by the Brooks family, who had previously owned it around the turn of the century, and was refurbished.[1] It was sold again, in late 2023, to Julie Gainford.

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]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://whitebullribchester.com/ White Bull Ribchester official website
  2. https://www.ribblevalley.gov.uk/downloads/file/1096/land-buildings-situated-at-the-white-bull-ribchester "Notice under Section 91 of the Localism Act 2011"
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20140816143935/http://www.thewhitebullribchester.co.uk/about-us.html "About Us" at thewhitebullribchester.co.uk
  4. https://e-voice.org.uk/ribchesterhistory/assets/documents/ribchester-history-trail-2 "Ribchester History Trail"
  5. 50 Gems of Lancashire: The History & Heritage of the Most Iconic Places, Robert Nicholls (2019)
  6. Web site: Ribchester Parish Council Parish Council Historical Buildings . 2023-01-17 . www.ribchesterparishcouncil.org.uk.
  7. http://www.lep.co.uk/news/landmark-ribble-valley-village-pub-is-up-for-sale-for-385-000-plus-1-8313720 "Landmark Ribble Valley village pub is up for sale for £385,000 plus"
  8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uGM0aVQHTw On the Edge of an Empire | FULL EPISODE | Time Team