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About Us

Welcome to The Nightingale

The building formerly known as the Eastburn Inn (and before that the White Bear) has recently come under the new ownership of Karl Rowlett & Mark Narey… and with them a new name: The Nightingale

Karl & Mark were tenants at The Grouse Inn, Oldfield from 2000-2011, and have brought with them management couple Craig Hardeman & Amy Narey along with Sarah Moorehouse, who will be working full-time front of house.

The Nightingale at Eastburn is operated by Traditional Catering Ltd. The successful business partnership behind Traditional Catering Ltd is head-chef Karl Rowlett & Mark Narey.

Karl is head-chef and is hands-on in the kitchen & bar. He learned his trade at the White Lion in Haworth, then moved on to become head-chef and manager at the Old Hall in Haworth, before joining Mark at the Grouse Inn.

Mark began as a butcher in Keighley Market, but in 1994 began his career in hospitality when he took over at the Old Silent in Stanbury. While at the Old Silent, Mark and his team were winners of the prestigious Times / Pimms Pub of the Year award in 1999.

Mark Narey & Karl Rowlett took over at the Grouse Inn in Oldfield in 2000 and it re-opened shortly afterwards following a major refurbishment. Having run both pubs for a year Mark relinquished the Old Silent in 2001 and in 2003 Mark & Karl began trading as co-directors of a newly formed company: Traditional Catering Ltd.

A finalist in a number of competitions based on the quality of its food, including finalist in the 2010 Publican’s National Food Pub of the Year category; finalists in the 2010 Yorkshire Pub of the Year Section of the YTB White Rose Awards 2010; and Highly Commended in the 2010 Best Food Pub of the Year category of the Great British Pub Awards, the Grouse Inn was also a finalist in the 2008 Yorkshire Pub of the Year in the Yorkshire Tourist Board’s White Rose Awards and in 2006 it was also Highly Recommended in the Yorkshire Life Traditional Pub of the Year Awards.

In 2012 Traditional Catering Ltd took over the Nightingale in Eastburn, having vacated the Grouse Inn the previous year. They bring with them many members of the team which had helped to make the Grouse Inn so successful.

The new management couple at the Nightingale are Craig Hardeman & Mark’s daughter, Amy Narey.

Craig started work at the Grouse Inn as a 13 year old pot-washer, and following the policy of “promoting from within” progressed to assistant chef, waiter & barman, before becoming the bar manager. You could say Craig knows the trade from the bottom up! Craig is now the licensee of the Nightingale.

Amy began work at the Grouse Inn as a 15 year old waitress before progressing to incorporate both waitressing & bar work. Amy has recently graduated from University after completing a degree incorporating both Business and Management.

Sarah Moorehouse also began waitressing as a 15 year old at the Grouse Inn and she progressed to become the Events Manager at the Grouse Inn. Sarah is always available to discuss group bookings and parties/functions at the Nightingale.

History of the Nightingale

The story of the present Nightingale buildings is closely linked to the main roads though the village of Eastburn. In the 17^th century the road from Steeton towards the towns of Colne & Skipton ran much nearer the river around the far side of Airedale hospital, before meandering up to Crosshills, where you could turn right to head to cross the river Aire at Kildwick and head for Skipton or left to head  to Colne and into Lancashire.

Carey’s Map of 1771

In the year 1680 there was a public-house at Eastburn, called “New Inn,” kept by Henry Ripley. It is not known for certain where the New Inn was situated, but it is most likely to have been in the part of Eastburn called Lyon Road, which takes its name from an old public-house called “Ye Red Lion Inn” – mentioned by John Warburton in 1720 in his Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, (Volume XV., p.61). Presumably between 1680 and 1720 the New Inn had changed its name to the Red Lion

Between 1789 and 1809 the turnpike road, which runs along the front of the Nightingale, was constructed. It was during this construction that the Red Lion Inn relocated from Lyon Road, which was no longer the main road through the village, to these buildings.

According to John Clough in his book The History of Steeton of 1880:

The reason that there are two “White Bear” Inns, one at Crosshills and the other at Eastburn, so near together is this: The road from the “Junction” to Kildwick was cut 1825; James Slack, then living at the “White Bear” Inn, Crosshills, removed to the “Red Lion” Inn, Eastburn; he thought the road from the “Junction” to Kildwick would diminish his business at Crosshills, so he changed the name of the Eastburn public-house from “Red Lion” to “White Bear,” as he thought by doing this he would better secure his old connection.

The building now forming the principal part of the “White Bear” was built by the executors of Thomas Charles Garforth about 1825, and the old part behind it, now standing, was the old “Red Lion.”

So from around 1800 until 1825 the premises was known as The Red Lion – a new location for an old established village inn. A move echoed by the public houses in Steeton; The Star & The Goat’s Head, which both relocated from High Street (the previous route into Keighley) to be beside the newly created turnpike road.

In 1825 after a major re-build the pub was called The White Bear – a change of name to match the landlord’s previous establishment, and so retain some of its previous customers. A move prompted by a new road being laid to Kildwick bridge, which bypassed the Old White Bear in Crosshills.

In December 2005, having been known as the White Bear for 180 years, the premises again changed its name – this time to the Eastburn Inn.

It remained the Eastburn Inn from 2005 until 2011.

The premises was bought in 2012 by the current owners, who changed the name to The Nightingale.

In Baines’ History, Directory & Gazetteer of the County of York dated 1822 the landlord of the Red Lion was James Lund.

James Slack bought the premises in 1825, when he moved from Crosshills & changed its name to the White Bear

In Pigot’s Directory of 1834 the inn was now owned by John Wilkinson, who can be seen as a 60 year old Inn keeper in the 1841 census, along with his wife Mary.

By the time of the 1851 census the Inn keeper of the White Bear was now John Metcalf and his wife Sarah. John was born in 1813 in Askrigg, and was a busy man, as he was listed as Inn keeper, farmer & blacksmith!

The 1861 census saw another change of ownership with Richard Emmott named as the new Inn keeper along with his wife Mary Ann. Richard was born in 1824 in Cowling, and is listed as Inn keeper & farmer of 60 acres.

By the 1871 census Richard has passed away, but his widow Mary Ann Emmott, who was born in 1815 in Masham, is now listed as the Inn keeper & farmer of 40 acres.

In 1880 the owner of the inn is Mr. John T. Ramsden, of Jumples, near Halifax.

In 1891 James Buckley was the landlord with his wife Ellen. James was 53 years old and was born in Keighley.

In 1911 the landlord was a 52 year old James Brooksbank from Keighley along with his wife Martha.