The Fox is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in the Holgate area of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, in England. The pub was purpose-built in 1878, replacing an earlier pub on the site. The

Holgate Road carriage works The Holgate Road carriage works was a railway carriage manufacturing factory in the Holgate area of York, England. The factory began production in 1884 as a planned expansion and replacement of the North Eastern Railway's Queen Street site; ...

was built nearby a few years later, and it long provided the main source of patrons for the business. It was long owned by

Tetley's Brewery Tetley's Brewery (Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd) was an English regional brewery founded in 1822 by Joshua Tetley in Hunslet, now a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire. The beer was originally produced at the Leeds Brewery, which was later renamed the Le ...

. In 1985, it was restored under the architect George Williamson, and was then branded as a Tetley's Heritage Pub. It was

grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1994, following a study by the

Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is th ...

. The pub was later sold to Punch Taverns, but closed in 2013 after the rent was increased. A proposal to bring the pub into community ownership suggested opening a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

in the building and selling bacon sandwiches during the day, but this was not taken forward. Instead, it was leased to the Ossett Brewery, which removed the kitchen and children's play area, and redecorated throughout. Each of the four rooms has a different theme: foxes, Holgate, travel, and railways. One room aims to replicate the feel of a railway carriage. On opening, the pub offered nine cask ales, including several from Ossett. By 2022, the pub was listed in the '' Good Beer Guide''. The two-storey building is built of brick, and is three bays wide. A panel in the centre reads "THE FOX INN REBUILT 1878". The main entrance is through a brick porch, while a secondary entrance, formerly for off-sales, is now blocked. Inside, many original fittings survive, including the bar, benches, fireplaces, corridor hatch, and staircase. It is listed on CAMRA's Yorkshire Regional Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, The, York Buildings and structures completed in 1878 Grade II listed pubs in York