Leeds Football Pubs - No.2
No. 2 - The Old Peacock
There cannot be a football club that is more inextricably linked to one pub than Leeds United.
The Old Peacock has stood on Elland Road since 1826 and has played an integral and legendary role in the history of Leeds United and its supporters. Much more than a Pub, it has been a meeting place for generations of supporters, on occasions an extra stand, a nickname, the seat of various protests movements, and a launch pad for projectiles arbitrarily aimed at opposition supporters.
Long before football was even organised, The Peacock, owned by Bentleys Brewery, opened its doors. It was so popular that it often ran out of beer. The Beer Act of 1830 saw thousands of pubs open and rather than brew their own, some pubs bought their beer from breweries like Bentleys. Beer was then priced at between 1s and 1 s 6d (5p to 7.5p) per gallon perhaps indicating the drinking prowess of its customers.
A legacy which has persisted on match days.
‘Only had the one officer’ referring of course to one gallon.
In 1842 the Peacock became ‘The Old Peacock’ when the ‘New Peacock’ opened further down Elland Road towards town in an area known as Islington although there was no demand for humus and cappuccinos in this Northern locality. Indeed, in the Old Peacock, tripe was the delicacy of choice left by the workers from the nearby Tripe works.
Bentley's Yorkshire Brewery, colloquially known as ‘Bugger Your Bladder’, in a fit of Victorian paternalism, purchased the land opposite to the pub for recreational purposes for its workers. It was called the Old Peacock Ground after the pub. It was not quite the benevolence it seemed as the Bentley brothers were not short of a bob or two, as they had walked away with £200k when their business became a limited liability company, a mere £22m today.
The Old Peacock ground was sold in 1897 to Hunslet Rugby Club for £1100 provided that it was maintained as a football ground for 7 years and Bentleys kept the catering rights. Despite rumours to the contrary, forensic evidence suggests that because of the intense heat generated by today's pies they are unlikely to originate from that time although this disputed with many supporters contending that the filing, at least, is not contemporary.
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Hunslet, the forerunners of Leeds City, played their first game in April 1898 in front of 3400 supporters on the ground which was now known as Elland Road. No doubt a few celebratory gallons were quaffed at the Old Peacock across the road.
In 1910 the pub was surrounded by thousands of supporters when the gates were closed to Elland Road before a FA Semi Final between Barnsley and Everton played . The Old Peacock roof became a surrogate stand for locked out spectators throughout the decades.
The symbiotic relationship between club and pub was cemented when newly founded Leeds United took the nickname the Peacocks after the pub. This has had unfortunately had consequences for zoo keepers throughout the country, one of which bemoaned ‘We had to move the Peacocks because bloody Leeds United fans kept trying to pinch their feathers’. Indeed in the late 60s and 70s a Peacock feather was often pinned to the wall of myriads of teenage Leeds Supporters bedrooms alongside their Athena posters of Farah Fawcett Major and the Tennis Girl.
In 1963 the old pub was demolished and a new one built further back from Elland Road. The ‘old’ was now ‘new’ but not in name. It was positioned so that it’s roof provided a better view of the pitch until the South Stand was inconveniently built by Leeds United Director Bob Roberts who had interests in a nearby restaurant.
The Peacock's new side entrances provided cover for Leeds supporters to remain hidden until the arrival of the away fans. It’s car park provided an ideal battlefield, with the opportunity for a swift one if there was a lull in the fighting. In inclement weather missiles could be projected from the comfort of the Peacock entrance without the necessity of leaving a pint unattended. Everything had been thought of.
Although the Football Ground Guide does not recommend the Old Peacock for away fans it has never been regarded as a hard-core hooligan pub. Several incursions by away firms have been met by derision rather than fists. It is a scarfers pub.
In the early days of internet message boards like Waccoe, the Old Peacock Beer Garden was used for real life meet ups of the avatars, a hierarchy determined by the number of posts rather than their footballing knowledge, where keyboard warriors could settle their differences over a tinny purchased not from the pub but a local offie to avoid the queues inside.
After the Supporters Club would not use any of their reserves to help alleviate the Club's desperate financial position, Ken Bates ousted them from their privilege bar inside Elland Road. Instead, they acquired the lease of the Old Peacock for 90k. The ‘back room’ was now exclusively reserved for the members of the Supporters Club with sentinels consisting of the Executive. With a nod from Ray Fell and you were in, safe to experience a quiet bar surrounded by Leeds United paraphernalia through the ages. Far away from the heaving masses of humanity at the front bar and free to discuss the failings of the Bates regime and wish or plot his downfall. Despite the huge takings on match day, the Supporters Club were unable to attract customers throughout the week and The Old Peacock was forced to close its historic doors.
First Greene King and then Ossett Brewery took on this iconic pub creating a ‘food and ale’ pub but on a match day there is a metamorphosis into a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of football fans to meet.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Trip Advisor The Old Peacock has replaced tripe with exotic Thai Street food with separate lunch and dinner menus, including such delights like pineapple fried rice and pandan crepe.
The Old Peacock - 251 Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds LS11 8TU - 0113 271 5962
For full menu- https://www.theoldpeacock.co.uk
Opening Times
Monday 3pm to 11pm
Tuesday- Thursday 12pm -11pm
Friday-Saturday 12pm -12pm
Sunday 12pm -11pm
For beers see www.ossett-brewery.co.uk
