Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Hull & East Yorkshire Branch NEWS RELEASE

Regular Finalist Finally Voted Pub of the Year 2004

Issued 15th December 2004

The Gardeners Arms, Kingston Upon Hull, has been named 'City Pub of the Year Award 2004' by the Hull & East Yorkshire Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

Members voted for their City Pub of the Year 2004 at the December branch meeting after carefully considering the following criteria: Community Focus, Atmosphere, Campaigning, Quality of Beer, Style/Decor, Service and Welcome; Value for Money.

For the pub to be eligible for the competition the licensee had to be present since the 1st January 2004. In this case the licensees Stephen and Tracey Bark have been in charge for nearly 11 years, having taken over in March 1994.

The Gardeners has been a Pub of the Year finalist for the past five years. This year the members felt that the pub's consistently high standards should be finally rewarded with the title. Although a two-roomer it is the front room that attracts the real ale drinkers. It has seen many alterations over the years, but retains the matchwood ceiling which blends with the current ale house style. At the front of the pub is a large outdoor drinking area which is very popular in the warmer months. An all-weather horning, complete with gas heaters, is presently being installed to increase the area's usage. The pub is presently owned by Mitchell & Butler and as you would expect it features in the new 2005 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

The pub is open during all the normal permissible hours. Tetley Bitter is the regular beer available alongside six regularly changing guest beers and two real ciders. Good value food is served 12-2.30 and 5-6.30 Monday-Friday, and 12-6 on a Saturday and Sunday. The pub hosts three popular evening quizzes: Film Quiz - Tuesday; General Knowledge - Wednesday; Music - Thursday. Stephen and Tracey are ably assisted in the pub by their hard working staff.

The nearby St John's Hotel on Queen's Road was runner-up in the competition. The Old English Gentleman (Worship Street) was third and the Whalebone (Wincolmlee) finished fourth.

The branch's 'City Pub of the Year Award 2004' will be presented to Stephen and Tracey Bark on Saturday 29th January at around 8.00 p.m., in front of a large group of discerning drinkers.